


A Family United

by LizzeXX



Series: The Lunar Cycle [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Clara Oswald is a Time Lady, Clara and The Captain are Links, Drama, Embedded Images, Gallifrey, Impossible Girl, Links, Mental Institutions, Mind Link, Mini Doctor, Nethersphere, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Romance, Sibling Rivalry, Soulmates, Telekinesis, The Doctor Is A Father, The Doctor and Evy are Links, The Doctor/Evy, The Last Great Time War, The Lunar Cycle, The promised land, Thuna - Freeform, Time Lady Clara, Time Lords, Time Tot, Time Travel, Time baby, Travel, baby time lord, doctor who - Freeform, linking, missy - Freeform, series 8 rewrite, space travel, time family, time lady - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:21:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 194,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27850774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzeXX/pseuds/LizzeXX
Summary: The Doctor regenerating is the least of Clara Oswald's worries as she deals with a new life as a Time Lady AND being Linked to the Doctor and Evy, his own Link's, son, the Captain. As the mystery of the Promised Land grows and Danny Pink notices Clara, will the family remain united…or find themselves divided when Missy comes calling?12/OCTime Lady
Relationships: Clara Oswald/Captain John Smith, Clara Oswald/The Captain, Eleventh Doctor/Original Female Character(s), The Doctor (Doctor Who) & Original Female Character(s), The Doctor/Evy Daniels, Theta/Luna, Thuna - Relationship
Series: The Lunar Cycle [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1104399
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	1. Deep Breath (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> I have been plagiarized many times since I began writing fanfiction :( So please, do not copy my work onto other sites. And if you see my work, whether in full or tweaked or mish-mashed into other people's works, reach out to me on tumblr (LizzeXX) and let me know so I can look into it, post evidence on my tumblr's 'Plagiarizers' page, and ask for help reporting when it happens :(
> 
> I have seen it all by now. From people flat out copying everything and just pasting it as is, to changing the OC's name or from 3rd to 1st person, to alternating parts of their own work with putting in parts of mine, to starting off originally and then transitioning to my work, to using Proffy for 1 story then switching to Evy in their next, to people literally taking chunks from 5 different series and piecing it together into a story, so please, PLEASE, let me know if you see it happening. I am nervous enough posting this on AO3 or any other site, it is reassuring to me if people can keep an eye out and just let me know if you see anything happening :(

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Welcome to the eighth story in my Lunar Cycle, a story involving my OC/Time Lady Evelyn 'Evy' Daniels (AKA Luna). Evy is the Link of the Doctor, a woman compatible to him in every way through any regeneration as he is her Link as well. This will be a revision of Series 8 so I would recommend reading the first stories in the series (The Hidden Lady of Time, Alone No Longer, Together At Last, Linked Through Time, the Beginning of a Family, and A Trio of Time Lords to fully understand who Evy is, her special talents, and her relationship with the Doctor (exactly what Linking is/Links are) along with more about their son, LJ Smith (future version: The Captain) and his own connection to Clara ;)
> 
> A description of Evy...a Time Lady currently in the 12th official version of herself, slightly wavy ginger hair that she tends to wear over one shoulder but tie up with a ribbon she wears on her wrist when working so it won't get in the way. She has grey eyes that she wears thin-wire glasses for, is pale, and slightly tall, appearing to be in her late 40s. She favors wearing black pants and boots, a long sleeved white button up shirt, and a buttoned black vest. For reference, an actress I picture as being similar to how Evy looks is Famke Janssen.
> 
> We also have another OC character, Little Jonathan Ianto Smith, or LJ, the son of the Doctor and Evy. Also known as the Time Lord Sigma...or, as his Older self appears quite a bit, just...J. Though his title is also the Captain after his favorite uncle ;) LJ is a toddler at this point, with brown hair, blue eyes, a tiny button nose, and, of course, the Doctor's sense of adventure :) His older self, is much the same, choosing to usually wear simple pants and a jumper and a dark/leather jacket ;) For a reference, an actor I see as similar to older-LJ, is James McAvoy :)
> 
> ~8~ scene change
> 
> 'italics' telepathic communication
> 
> This story will be two chapters per episode and 1 chapter per episode when we get to 2-parters (Dark Water/Death in Heaven). The chapters will also follow mostly the Doctor/Evy's (Thuna's) POV but include some scenes where the Doctor or Evy are mentioned/talked about at length.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who...or else the Time Lords would have been back way earlier :)

"Clara hold on!" Evy shouted as the TARDIS rocked and shook and jolted around them, her trying to both grab onto the console and stop the Doctor from flying them through time along with the dinosaur whose throat they were now lodged in.

The Doctor had only just regenerated and should NOT have been allowed near the console afterwards, but the box had started crashing and he'd run for it and the next thing she knew they were flying right for a T-Rex's open mouth. She'd managed to get them stable, but the Doctor was trying to send them back to the proper time, not realizing the shields were still extended from when Clara had been clinging to the edge of the TARDIS on Christmas, he was going to take the whole dinosaur with him and appeared to be doing just that.

Clara was sitting on one of the side chairs, LJ clutched safely in her arms even as the boy giggled and clapped at how the TARDIS was acting, enjoying the ride even as the adults freaked out around him.

"I can help!" Clara called, though she made no move to get up and do it, the prospect of putting LJ down anywhere in the shifting box not sitting well with her.

"You are," Evy reassured her, "Just…keep LJ safe!"

She ran around the console, only to almost fall to her knees when the box came to a sudden thud as the Doctor managed to land her. Likely would have fallen too had the Doctor not spun around and caught her a split second before.

"You alright?" the Doctor looked her over, still with her half turned in a small dip from how he'd caught her.

"I should be asking you that," she murmured, gently touching his aged face. Well, that was one thing that she was grateful for, his older, slightly wrinkled appearance and gray hair, she was quite a bit older in appearance herself, seeming to be in her late 40s while he appeared mid-50s, it was a much better age difference than when he'd been mid/late-20s and her as old looking as she had been.

"I'm fine now," he told her, squeezing her in his arms a little more tightly in an indication of WHY he felt good at the moment.

They both looked over when there was a knock on the door, followed by a Sontaran calling out, "Hello? Exit the box, and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran empire!"

Evy frowned as the Doctor straightened her, the man striding right of the door, seeming very angry that someone was 'threatening' them, Clara getting up and moving over to her, not following the Doctor for the moment, "Are we on Sontar?" Clara asked her quietly, recalling that to be the home of the Sontarans from her memories.

She was still very much working on shifting and sorting her new memories as a Time Lady, getting used to all this information a human shouldn't know but that she DID know, on top of knowledge of having lived in many other times and planets from her echo-lives.

Evy glanced over at the console, bringing the console over to them to check, "No," she answered, "London, on the bank of the Thames."

They looked up as the Doctor opened the door, just barely able to see a Sontaran in a suit standing there, before the Doctor called, "Shush!" and slammed the door shut on the potato-dwarf.

"Strax?" Clara guessed, knowing that she'd met the alien at least twice so far and he was the only Sontaran she could think of that would be wearing a suit on Earth.

"Doctor?" the Sontaran, possibly Strax, knocked again.

Evy quickly made her way over to the door, putting a hand on the Doctor's shoulder as she saw him getting agitated, and opened it herself, "Have you seen a dinosaur?" she asked the alien, "The Doctor crashed us into one and I think he may have brought her back with us…"

"I did not crash us into a dinosaur," the Doctor huffed, reaching out to slam the door shut, preferring to have a conversation in private…when a thought hit him and he pulled the door open once more to look at the Sontaran, "Sleepy?"

"Sir?" the Sontaran blinked.

"Bashful? Sneezy? Dopey? Grumpy!"

"Vastra?" Clara called as she slowly stepped over with LJ to see the lizard woman in Victorian garb stepping up with, "Jenny?"

"So it IS Strax then," Evy nodded, eyeing Strax.

"No," the Doctor pointed at them, as though he were correcting them, "It's the green one and the not-green one and the potato one…" he frowned, "Or it could be the other way round, I mustn't prejudge," he took a step out of the TARDIS, gesturing back at the two women, "And you remember, er…thingy. The, er, the impossible one, the asking questions one. Names not my area. Except Evy and boyo there…"

Clara frowned and looked at Evy, concern in her eyes while Evy just leaned against the doorway of the TARDIS, amused, "Is he alright?"

Evy nodded, "Bit of post-regenerative amnesia," she reassured Clara, "He's done this before, it'll fade once he's rested up. Don't be offended if he forgets your name a time or two. I think Amy had to remind him what her name was half a dozen times when he met her after regenerating."

"Right," Clara nodded, filing that information away in the back of her mind.

"It's Clara," Evy called to the Doctor as he started to wander about a few feet away, eyeing Vastra and Jenny closely, trying to recall who they were.

"Might be Clara," he agreed, "Might not be. It's a lottery."

"It's Clara," she repeated.

Clara shook her head and turned to Evy, "He's not acting like you did…"

"Genders," Evy shrugged, "Could be at least, I've always had an easier time regenerating than he did. Then again, I wasn't _fighting it_ half the time," she shouted over to him, pointedly.

The Doctor turned to answer her when there was a large bellow from beside them, near the river, "Oi!" the Doctor rounded on the noise…a dinosaur, the same one that had nearly swallowed them, standing there, apparently it HAD followed them back, "Big man, shut it. Oh, you've got a dinosaur too. Big woman, sorry."

"Shouldn't we be calming him down?" Clara bit her lip, watching the Doctor shouting a conversation with the dino like a madman.

"No," Evy sighed, "Right now, there's more danger in LJ wanting a…"

"Rexy!" LJ started to clap in Clara's arms, squirming as though he wanted to be let down but Clara was wise enough not to let him, the boy making grabby hands at the dinosaur, "Mummy! Rexy! Pet?"

"No," Evy shook her head at him, taking one of his hands, "You have your dino toys, no pets in the TARDIS."

"I'm not flirting, by the way!" the Doctor shouted at the dinosaur, making them look over at him, "There's only two people I flirt with, Evy and my Link and you've got nothing on her."

"One person, Doctor," Evy reminded him.

He looked at her, "Then why are there two of you?" he asked, his gaze shifting just a bit to the side, as though he were seeing double which he probably was.

Evy sighed, pushing off the TARDIS to walk over to him, taking his hands, "Calm down…"

"Are you sure nothing's gone wrong?" Clara stepped closer to them, LJ reaching for his new-father now.

"Wrong?" the Doctor huffed, taking his son from her and bobbing him slightly, "What's gone wrong? Have you ever regenerated?"

"Not yet," Clara had to admit, she had memories of what it was, could remember seeing others do it, but no, she'd never experienced it herself, not even on Gallifery, having died in her first incarnation.

"Hold on," he squinted at her, "I remember you. You're Handles!" he pointed at her almost accusingly, "You used to be a little, a little robot head, and now you…you've really let yourself go."

Clara blinked and looked at Evy for that, "I'm not sure whether I should be insulted that I don't look like a Cyberman or that he thought I did…"

The Doctor just spun around, pointing at Vastra, "Reduce the frequency!"

Vastra gave Evy a questioning look, not sure what he was talking about or if it was a bout of madness taking him.

"Your sonic lanterns," Evy gave a small nod at the dinosaur, "Turn them down. You're giving her a headache."

"Giving who a headache?" Jenny frowned.

"Our boy's new pet," the Doctor smiled, bobbing LJ as the boy squealed in excitement at the thought of getting a T-Rex for a pet.

"Rexy!"

"Is NOT our new pet," Evy cut in, moving closer to the Doctor, just knowing what would be coming in mere minutes. Her Link would not, even if he ever did one day allow their son to have a dinosaur, suggest or accept a T-Rex, the regeneration was starting to get to him.

"How do you know?" Strax inquired.

"Come on, Clara," the Doctor huffed in agitation, "You know that I speak dinosaur."

"He's not Clara," Clara stated, trying very hard to not get offended that the Doctor apparently also thought she looked like a Sontaran as well, " _I'm_ Clara."

"Well, you're very similar heights," he shrugged, "Maybe you should wear labels? Why…why are you all doing that?" he started to squint as Evy moved beside him, "Why are you? You're all going dark and wobbly. Stop that!"

"I don't think we are…"

"Why don't you give me him," Evy reached out and took LJ from him, "And take five…"

Only a split moment before the Doctor's eyes rolled into his head and he fell face first into the muddy banks, LJ now safely in her arms as Clara hurried over to check on the Doctor.

"What do we do?" she looked up at Evy, this REALLY wasn't like Evy's regeneration had been.

"We need to get him someplace he can rest," Evy turned to Vastra, "The TARDIS," she glanced at the box, not even needing to test the doors to know that they would be locked, even to her, as the box repaired itself from their crash.

"I don't understand," Jenny looked at her mistress and Evy for answers, "Who is he? Where's the Doctor?"

"Right here," Clara sighed, standing, "That's him. That's the Doctor."

"Regeneration," Evy offered as explanation.

Vastra's eyes widened but she nodded, understanding, "Well then, here we go again."

~8~

Evy stood before the Doctor, holding his hands as he seemed almost delirious, looking around the room that Vastra had graciously provided for him to rest in at her home. The lizard in question was standing back against the wall, watching but ready to intervene if the Doctor became too confused or hostile, one could never tell with him. She'd heard a tale once that he'd nearly strangled a friend after regeneration, she doubted he would EVER do that to Evy, but she was not about to risk her friend that way. Evy too had insisted that Clara and Jenny remain out in the hall with LJ, that Strax was NOT to enter the room at all till they'd calmed the Doctor down knowing the Sontaran would likely antagonize him or see a threat where there really wasn't one and attack.

"Doctor," Evy began calmly, "You need to calm down and sleep…"

The Doctor, though, was just staring around the room, wearing a full-length nightshirt, not seeming to comprehend what she was saying, "It's simply misunderstandable to me. I don't know what it is. Who invented this room?"

"I do believe bedrooms have been around for many centuries and in many cultures," Evy replied dryly.

"It's not a bedroom," the Doctor shook his head, "I mean, look! It's only got a bed in it. Why is there only a bed in the room?"

Evy gave him an amused look, "Because it IS a BEDroom. And a bedroom is where normal people sleep, remember?"

"But what do they do when they're awake?" he stared at her as if the concept of a bedroom was completely foreign to him.

Oh that amnesia truly did a number on him didn't it?

"When you're awake you can lie in bed and be lazy, or walk out of the room," she gestured at the door.

"So the humans have got a whole room for not being awake in? What's the point? You're just missing the room!"

"Well there ARE other activities you can do in a bed that don't involve sleeping," she gave him a playful look, "Just because our son wasn't conceived in one doesn't mean we haven't had ample practice in…"

"Don't want to hear that!" Clara's voice shouted through the door where she and Jenny were listening.

"The point of a bed is to rest, a bedroom is a quiet place that is quiet enough to rest," Evy reminded him, "And that is what you need to do now. Rest."

"Well how am I supposed to do that?" he huffed, "That mirror is absolutely furious!" he pointed at the full-length mirror as though it were responsible for him not being able to relax.

"That's YOU, dear," Evy remarked, "That is YOU in the mirror. So if you calm down, you'll be less furious and can relax. Unless you'd like to keep passing out with our son in your arms, there's only so many times Clara or I can get him out of them in time…"

"Well, of course I keep passing out," the Doctor muttered though he moved back towards the bed and sat on the edge, not letting go of Evy's hands. He looked up at her a moment, frowning as he studied her, "Why do you keep talking like that?" he asked her, sounding truly concerned that something was wrong with her, "What's gone wrong with your accent?"

"My accent hasn't changed. Your ear has."

"You sound the same as those other humans!"

"Just like you sound the same as Amy, Scottish," she nodded, "Now, sleep or I make you sleep."

He scoffed at that, "You may be my Link, Eves, and the mother of my child, and one of the Inspired, but I don't think you can…"

Evy just rolled her eyes and put her hands on the sides of his face, her fingertips near his temples and closed her eyes a moment…the Doctor falling backwards on the bed a moment later, completely out for the count…and starting to snore lightly.

Evy sighed and grabbed his legs, turning him so he was lying fully on the bed before she straightened back up, "I know where LJ gets it from," she muttered, "You're even more impossible to put to bed than your son."

"Evy?" Clara's voice called through the door, "Is it ok to come in now? The Doctor hasn't said anything in the last 10 seconds, that's a good sign right?"

"In this case," Evy nodded to herself, calling out, "Come in!"

The door slowly opened, Clara peeking in just to be sure before she pushed it open, stepping in with Jenny, LJ walking beside her, holding her hand, "So…" she eyed the Doctor lying on the bed, "What now?"

Vastra had to chuckle when LJ hurried over to the bed and started to try and climb on top of it, managing to do so with a little help from his mother, "He needs rest," she warned the boy gently.

"Gentle, darling," Evy told him, resting a hand on his back and pressing a kiss to his hair that he tried to wave her off from, hopping slightly in place till be was beside his father and holding his hand.

Clara smiled at the sight, "So what do we do? How do we fix him?"

"Fix him?" Jenny frowned, "You…you don't mean change him back do you?"

Clara had only just shaken her head at that, about to say that she meant help him, fix what was going wrong with his regeneration, because something had to be for him to be acting like he had, when Vastra sniffed, sounding almost peeved.

"Jenny, I will be in my chamber," the lizard told the woman, "Would you be kind enough to fetch my veil?"

"Vastra," Evy called as the lizard reached the doorway, "It won't be necessary," she told Vastra meaningfully, "It is a lot to process and I will speak to her, but believe me, that wasn't what she meant."

Vastra eyed Clara, almost as though she were sizing her up before she gave Evy a short nod but still left.

"What have I done wrong?" Clara turned to the other women, only for a strained sound to reach them echoing from the dinosaur they could make out in the distance.

"The dinosaur doesn't seem very happy," Jenny frowned at it.

"What's wrong with it?" Clara turned to Evy.

"It's alone," Evy murmured sadly, "'The world which shook at my feet,'" she began to translate, "'And the trees and the sky, have gone. And I am alone now. Alone. The wind bites now, and the world is grey, and I am alone here. Can't see me. Doesn't see me. Can't see me…'" she frowned at that last part and turned to look at the Doctor lying in bed, moving over to him and crouching down to press a kiss to his forehead, ' _She does see you,_ ' she whispered in his mind, ' _We all do. Don't worry, Theta._ '

"Who can't see it?" Clara shook her head at that, gesturing to the window, "I think all of London can see it."

"I was picking up a bit of the Doctor at the end," Evy waved it off, standing but watching as LJ cuddled up next to his father.

"Excuse me, ma'ams," Jenny spoke quietly, sensing that the topic was starting to turn towards a more Time Lord direction and wanting to give more privacy, "The wife doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Clara waited till Jenny had left the room before turning to Evy, "Where did he get that face? Why's it got lines on it? It's brand new. How can his hair be all grey? He only just got it…"

"Clara," Evy moved over to her, taking her hands, "Breath," she gave her a look, waiting till Clara inhaled deeply, "Let's give our boys some quiet and talk about this in Vastra's study, yes?"

Clara glanced over at the two boys lying on the bed, smiling softly when she saw LJ let out a wide yawn as he drifted off beside his father, before nodding, following Evy out of the room and down the hall to a quaint little study, a desk and bookshelf being the main components of the room, two chairs set up before the desk with some potted plants in the corners.

Evy led her over to the two chairs, sitting down beside Clara, "It's a lottery," she began, explaining regeneration to her, knowing that Clara knew of it, but there were quite a lot of questions that were never really answered till one experienced regeneration, and she knew Clara's memories were more jumbled than most Time Lords' would be given all that had happened to her, "The faces can be random, or we can, with much concentration, choose features of it. It has lines on it because we can be anything, old or young, black or white, man or woman. The same with his hair, it could be black or red or blond or gray, I even saw one with blue hair once."

Clara nodded, following along, "Sorry," she murmured, "I KNOW I know this it's just…"

"It's hard to keep it straight in your head," Evy nodded, understanding.

"Yeah," she sighed, "And it's just been so…quick. With yours, it was…it was normal, I think?" she gave a look at Evy who nodded, "You were blowing and energy was coming out of you and I saw you changing in the middle of it and then you were just…normal after."

Evy smiled at that, understanding even more, Clara's first experience with regeneration after becoming a Time Lady again had been a typical one, what was textbook for their people, for their women at least. The Doctor had broken every rule, regenerated but paused the change, broke the cycle, and his frantic behavior was jarring to Clara even more so now. What she thought she could expected, based on the regeneration she DID see, wasn't what happened at all. She didn't know what to do or how to handle it.

"I mean, we were crashing about everywhere and the Doctor was gone and the TARDIS went haywire…"

"Clara," she reached out and touched Clara's hand, "It's OK," she smiled, "Regeneration CAN be jarring, but it's important to remember he's not _gone_. And he's not dead either, he's just…changed. He regenerated and renewed himself."

"He doesn't…he doesn't look renewed. He looks older. Is…" she looked away, "Is he healthy? I mean, does that happen to you? If you regenerate older? Do you end up with old-people things?"

"He's healthy," Evy reassured her, "He just looks older, but inside, he's still got the same spirit and the same healthy. It's just the outside the changed. Like…a gift that's been re-gifted in a new package."

"Does it happen all the time, like that?" Clara wondered, "When…when I regenerate, will I have no control over it? Will the Cap'n be ok with it?"

"Well he won't be ok with the fact that you're regenerating," Evy began, smiling a bit as she started to realize what was truly bothering Clara about it, "He'll absolutely hate the fact that you got so injured that your body needed to regenerate. He'll be angry with himself for not being enough to protect you. But regeneration is normal, and he'd rather you do that and change into someone else than to die and never be with you again. We are still the same people Clara, same memories and all, it's just our personalities might change."

"And our appearances," Clara murmured, "What if…what if, when I regenerate, he doesn't…"

"Like how you look?" Evy looked amused at that.

Clara was almost starting to miss her 'eyebrow of doom,' a raised eyebrow would be easier to deal with than both her eyebrows lifted in entertainment, "Yeah."

"He will love you Clara, no matter what you look like," she squeezed Clara's hand, "Would you love him less if he were less dashing than he is?"

"Of course not!" Clara nearly seethed, "I'm NOT that shallow that I would feel less for him just because he looks different."

Evy gave her a pointed look.

"Oh," Clara nodded, starting to smile, "I see what you did there."

Evy laughed, "Young or old, childish or mature, reckless or cautious, we are doomed to love our boys."

"I don't know why I got so worried," Clara admitted, "I know the Cap'n wouldn't care what I look like. I…there was one time, I tried to make him dinner and it was an utter disaster. I looked a wreck, just…hideous, and he just…looked at me like…like I was…"

"His entire world?" Evy supplied and Clara nodded, "That's love, Clara, we've both been very lucky to find it in our Links and they in us. That is what the Link is about, acceptance and finding someone that can do such a thing no matter how we may change."

"I just don't like thinking of the Cap'n regenerating," Clara added after a moment, "Of him…dying and…"

"No one does," Evy agreed, seeing tears forming in Clara's eyes at just the thought of LJ's future self being so harmed that he regenerated, SHE hated the thought as well, "But better regeneration and change than true death. And he's managed over 300 years without doing so," she smiled, "Let's hope that's a good omen that it won't happen any time soon."

"Ever," Clara had to hope even though she knew it was a very ridiculous one.

"I'd drink to that," Evy laughed, the two women starting to smile…

When a loud, agonized roar echoed into the night.

"The dinosaur!" they both gasped, jumping up and running to the window, looking out it to see the dinosaur in the distance…burst into flames out of nowhere.

"Oh my stars…" Clara gaped.

"Come on," Evy grabbed her arm, pulling her out of the room and rushing down to the Doctor's room…only to see the man was gone, and LJ was lying on the bed, comfortably tucked into it, pillows crowded around him to keep him from squirming off the sides in the middle of the night.

But the Doctor was very much missing.

"Idiot," Evy muttered, already guessing where he'd gone, she'd felt him wake up but he'd seemed a bit distracted and jumbled in her head and she'd assumed he would just mutter to himself in the room longer than this.

"That came from the river!" Vastra called as she ran up the stairs and over to them.

"The dinosaur," Jenny agreed.

"We need to get there, now," Evy turned to the two, "The Doctor's gone after the dinosaur and he's bound to get himself in trouble. Clara…"

"Go," Clara agreed, moving into the room to stay with LJ, knowing that Evy wouldn't want to leave the boy alone without one of them there, but knowing she couldn't exactly ask Vastra, Jenny, or Strax as it was their house and with them as the guests there.

"Thank you."

"Strax!" Vastra turned and hurried down the hall to the stairs once more, Evy after her, "Bring the carriage, now!"

~8~

"Out of the way, human scum!" Strax shouted with a rather extreme amount of delight as he drove the carriage that Vastra had called for down the streets of London, following the Doctor as the man rode a horse ahead of them, both of them heading for the dinosaur though the Doctor was quite a ways ahead of them, "Hi-yah. Jurassic emergency. Yah!"

"What do you think's happened?" Jenny looked over at the two women.

"I don't know, but I fear devilment," Vastra sighed.

"Oh I don't doubt it," Evy murmured, "Especially now that the Doctor's involved," she leaned over, able to make out the Doctor on his horse. She was going to have to forbid him from mentioning he'd ridden a horse around LJ now. The boy always wanted animals, he'd want a horse and he'd already asked for one quite a few times. If the Doctor was willing to allow a T-Rex as a pet, he'd accept another 'Arthur' and they were NOT keeping a horse on the TARDIS.

"Strax," Vastra banged on the back of the carriage, towards where Strax was sitting, "Come on, Strax!" the carriage jolted as Strax cracked a whip, spurring the horses on faster, "That's better."

"I wish the TARDIS had been finished repairing herself," Evy mumbled, she would have preferred it to that particular carriage ride, gripping the side of it tightly as Strax raced them around a corner, only to quickly pull the carriage to a short stop.

The three women scrambled out, seeing the Doctor standing on the parapet of the Thames River, staring at the flaming remains of the dinosaur across the way, the animal having collapsed as it burned to death. Evy stepped forward, resting her hands on the parapet beside him, frowning into the distance as well, hearing his repeated murmurs of 'sorry,' and feeling the very same.

"Doctor…" Evy began.

"She was scared," the Doctor whispered, so quietly only she could hear him, "She was scared and alone. I brought her here and look what they did…"

"Who did it though?" Evy had to wonder.

"I too would like to know," Vastra stepped closer with Jenny.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "That is not the question. That is not where we start."

"The question is how!" Strax cried, "The flesh itself has been combusted…"

"No, no, shut up!" the Doctor snapped, "What do you all have for brains, pudding? Look at you. Why can't we meet a decent species, Evy? Planet of the pudding brains!"

"So THIS is where LJ will get his rudeness from," Evy mumbled to herself.

The Doctor smirked a bit at that and turned o the parapet to face them, "A dinosaur is burning in the heart of London," he began, "Nothing left but smoke and flame. The question we start on is…have there been any similar murders?"

Vastra gasped at that, "Yes! Yes, by the Goddess, there have!"

"Look at them all," the Doctor frowned, looking up and down the river bank, seeing human upon human gathering to view the spectacle, "Look at all the pudding brains gawking about…"

"All of them except one," Evy frowned, spotting one man quite a distance away, walking away from the burning dinosaur as though it were such a common occurrence that it didn't warrant his attention.

"He seems remarkably unmoved by the available spectacle," Vastra's eyes narrowed at the man as well.

"He just might have something to do with…" Evy began, only to frown and blink when she heard a splash behind her, "He's jumped into the river, hasn't he?"

Vastra nodded, "I'm afraid he has."

Evy though, instead of getting mad, could only shake her head at that, he was still just as reckless as his last self had been, "Vastra, you and Jenny return back to Clara," she looked at the woman, "See what you can gather about these deaths."

Vastra frowned when Evy turned and walked away, "What about you?"

"I need to find my wayward Link and make sure he doesn't drown or get himself in more trouble," Evy told her, pointing at Vastra warningly, "I am trusting you with my son, Vastra."

"On my life, Evy," Vastra bowed her head.

Evy gave her a firm nod before turning and walking along the river, using the Link to keep track of the Doctor as he swam down it.

~8~

Evy sighed as she leaned against an ally wall, her arms crossed, watching as the Doctor rummaged through bins of rubbish, the sun just starting to peek into the sky.

"Doctor, what ARE you doing?" she made her way over to him, taking a broken mirror that he'd paused to look into from his hand.

"Bitey," he mumbled.

"The Cyber-mat?" she blinked.

"The air," he corrected, "It's bitey. It's wet, and bitey."

"It would be less so if you stayed in bed," she pointed out, taking his hand and turning to lead him out of the alley, "It's cold out and you've just regenerated. If you get a cold or a pneumonia and regenerate, again, I'll be very cross."

He smiled slightly at that, feeling his mind focusing more as he held her hand, as he focused on her, focused his thoughts on just one thing, "It IS cold," he agreed, "I knew it was a thing. I need um…I need clothes. I need clothes, that's what I need."

"That's where I'm taking you now," she remarked.

"And a big, long scarf!" he declared, till he winced, seeing her giving him an amused look at that, "No, no, move on from that. Looked stupid."

"I liked it," she shrugged.

He blinked, "Did you?"

"You have always looked handsome, Doctor," she told him, "No matter what you wore. Otherwise I'd have been lamenting you being my link when you decided for that ridiculous rainbow jacket…"

He nodded, "Not my best day," he agreed, tugging her to a stop as they passed a shop window, catching his reflection in it, "Have you seen this face before?" he asked her, starting to poke it.

"Once," she nodded, "In Pompeii," she reminded him, "Caecilius?"

He blinked and nodded at that, "Why did I pick HIS face?"

She could only shrug at that, "We never really know why we end up with the faces we do."

"It's like I'm trying to tell myself something. Like I'm trying to make a point. But what is so important that I can't just tell myself what I'm thinking?"

"Knowing your mind," Evy smiled at him, "Almost anything is that important."

The Doctor didn't reply to that, just leaned in closer to his reflection, observing his new face more, "It's covered in lines," he muttered, "But I didn't do the frowning. Who frowned me this face? And those eyebrows! Well," he considered it, "It's alright up until the eyebrows. Then it just goes haywire. Look at the eyebrows," he turned to her, pointing at his brows, "These are attack eyebrows. You could take bottle tops off with these!"

"They're definitely far less delicate than before," she laughed.

"They're cross! They're crosser than the rest of my face. They're independently cross. They probably want to cede from the rest of my face and set up their own independent state of eyebrows."

Evy opened her mouth to remark on that, when she saw his eyes steadily growing wider in horror, "What?"

"I am…Scottish," he breathed, "I've gone Scottish?" he huffed at that, "I'm Scottish. I am Scottish," he appeared to be testing the accent before nodding to himself, accepting it, "I can complain about things, I can really complain about things."

"That hasn't stopped you in any of your past incarnations," Evy pointed out, "Being Scottish has nothing to do with it."

The Doctor thought on that before shrugging a nod, it was true enough. He glanced back at himself in the shop window, actually seeming to seriously look at himself, before he looked at her, "What do YOU think?"

Evy blinked at that, "About your eyebrows or your accent?"

"Either, both, all of it," he gestured at himself, "My face, my lines, my…me…" he seemed to hesitate a moment, "Do you…like it?"

Evy gave him a soft smile for that, wondering if her son would grow up to feel as she did about regeneration as the Doctor seemed to be quite like Clara in his concerns, "I love everything about you, Theta," she told him, taking his hands, "Your lines, your hair, your accent, your eyebrows," she stepped closer to him, "Maybe this time when you waggle them at me suggestively, I'll actually realize you're doing it now."

The Doctor blinked at that and started to smile, "Oh will you?"

She nodded, "Oh but…" she sighed, "I've gotten so used to NOT noticing, you may have to start practicing."

"I should get on that then," he nodded, stepping closer to her, leaning in to kiss her gently, resting his forehead to hers after he pulled away, "Luna?" he spoke quietly, getting a hum in return, "I'm cold."

She chuckled lightly at that, "Come on," she turned to tug him on, "We'll get you some clothes and get back to Vastra to investigate what happened to your dinosaur."

~8~

Clara was…not frantic, she wasn't, she was NOT frantic at all as she hurried down the halls of Vastra's home, calling out for the woman, nor was she desperate to find her, not at all, "Madame Vastra!" she hurried down the stairs, "Madame Vas…" she cut off suddenly when she entered a sunroom type area of the house filled with art and statues to see Vastra standing before a board of maps and notes with Jenny in a corset posing before her.  
It wasn't even the sight of the two women having a bit of a spat that did it or Jenny's outfit, but more the relief that surged through her when she caught sight of LJ sitting on the ground at Vastra's feet, playing with some small toys, "Oh thank god," she put a hand over her hearts, striding into the room, "I thought…" she swallowed hard and shook her head, "I went to get him a snack in the kitchen and I came back and he was gone!"  
"My apologies, Miss Oswald," Vastra gave her an apologetic look, "The young master wanted to help," she gestured at the map and notes she'd been doing, "And got quite distracted," and then down to LJ playing.

Clara nodded, not quite happy that no one had told her they were taking LJ from where she'd left him and giving her a hearts attack for it, but relieved he was ok. But then she frowned, catching sight of something pinned to Vastra's board, "What's that?" she stepped closer, tugging it off the board and frowning at the advert.

"Advertisements?" Vastra shook her head at it.

"No, look," she held it up for Vastra to see, "Look."

Vastra blinked, seeing 'Impossible Girl, Lunch on the other side?' written on it and knowing that both Evy and Clara were deemed 'impossible girls' by the Doctor (and the Captain).

"Ma'am?" Jenny gave her an odd look.

"The game is afoot," Vastra nodded, glancing at Clara as LJ tugged on her period dress that they'd offered the woman and was picked up into Clara's arms, "We're going to need a lot of tea," she absently reached out to ring a bell and signal Strax while examining the paper intently.

"How do we even know it's from the Doctor?" Jenny asked.

"Of course it's from the Doctor," Clara replied, "Him or Evy. See, 'the Impossible Girl,' that's what he calls me and Evy. Well, it was probably Evy that did it then, the Doctor calls me the 'human' impossible girl…"

"He says lunch," Vastra noted, "But not when or where?"

"Ok, probably not Evy then," Clara sighed, "She'd be clearer."

"On the other side?" Jenny tried to think, "The other side of London? Bit vague."

Clara reached out and took the paper from Vastra as the lizard woman offered, "The other side of regeneration, perhaps, once he's recovered?"

"So what am I supposed to do, guess where we're meeting?" Clara huffed, just holding the paper in her hand in frustration, easily letting LJ take it from her, not even keeping an eye on him that he didn't tear it up or crumple it…or eat it.

"Perhaps that's the point," Vastra remarked, "Have they mentioned anything to you about this time or place? Anything they'd want to see?"

"No," Clara sighed, "I mean, I haven't really learned how to sense Time Lords either so I wouldn't be able to track them. I might be able to find them with the TARDIS, but she's still rebuilding," she shook her head, "I don't understand it. He doesn't do puzzles. Evy isn't complicated. Really, the Doctor does NOT have the attention span. But Evy would have kept it simple and I don't know what they mean by 'on the other side…'"

"This!" LJ held the cutting up to her.

"Yes, what the paper says," Clara nodded.

"No! This!" LJ held the paper up to her, the back of the advert for the Impossible Girl.

"I saw."

"No!" LJ huffed, reaching out to touch Clara's cheeks, squishing them so she would pay attention to him, "This! This side!" he let go of her and took the advert in both hands, holding it up to her so that she was reading the other side of the paper!

Her eyes widened as that thought hit her, taking the paper and looking at the listing for 'Mancini's Family Restaurant,' before grinning at LJ, "You are a brilliant little boy," she told him, making him cheer and clap…till she pressed a kiss to his hair and he scrunched his face and tried to wave her away from him.

~8~

Clara held LJ braced on her hip as they stood across the street of the restaurant the Time Lords had told her to meet them in, glancing both ways before crossing it, heading inside. She glanced around, seeing a sign to seat herself and stepped further into the dining area. She headed to the very back, the most private area, also the one where they had a baby bench or two resting, and set one up for LJ before sliding into the small curved bench against the wall behind the little circular table. She glanced over at LJ who was looking at a blank piece of parchment that was on his small serving tray and picked up a small pencil that was resting on the table beside a customer review paper, handing it to the boy, watching as he started to draw absent shapes on the blank paper.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor's voice suddenly called, making her gasp.

"Doctor!" Clara looked up to see the Doctor and Evy heading over to them, neither really dressed for the period, though the Doctor was in a long coat so she couldn't quite make out his attire, "Evy!" she smiled as they kissed their son and sat down, "Do some shopping?"

Evy nodded, "It was either that or a dirty nightshirt for the rest of the day. Unlike this one," she nodded a the Doctor, "I DO carry some money."

"I could always play the lottery," the Doctor murmured.

"Oi, don't make me laugh," Clara smiled but tried not to, "I'm trying to be cross with you!"

"Why?" the Doctor frowned, "Because I changed my face?"

"No," Clara's expression grew softer, "No, I understand that. I have to otherwise my future will be very awkward," she laughed a bit, before trying to sober up and grow more serious, "No, I'm cross because if an ordinary person wants to meet someone that they know very well for lunch. What do they do?"

"Well, they probably get in touch and suggest lunch," the Doctor stated.

"Ok, so what sort of person would put a cryptic note in, in a newspaper advert?"

"A narcissistic, clingy, manipulator," Evy shrugged, "Why do you ask?"

"Because of the advert!"

"Yes, we were surprised to see your message," Evy remarked, thinking on how she'd seen it in the paper of a small clothing shop, waiting for the Doctor to change, "We figured it out though…"

"No," Clara shook her head, "No, no. _I_ didn't place the ad. _You_ placed the ad."

"No, we didn't," the Doctor shook his head.

"Yes, you placed the ad, I figured it out. Impossible Girl, see? Lunch."

"Yes, Impossible Girl," Evy gestured at herself as well, "We thought it was a message _from_ one Impossible Girl to the other."

"That's why I thought too," Clara frowned.

"Well, if neither of us placed that ad, who placed that ad?" the Doctor wondered.

"Hang on," Clara blinked, "narcissistic, clingy, manipulator?!"

"Which is why we were surprised it came from you," Evy repeated, "But as it didn't…it makes more sense now. It didn't seem like something you'd do but you were the only other person we could think of that would do it."

"The Cap'n," Clara dead panned, "River."

"No," Evy shook her head, "They'd sooner leave us a message or blow something up first."

"Dinosaur?"

"They'd never kill anything."

"Which means this could be a trap," the Doctor realized, starting to look around, "It's a vanity trap," his voice grew lower, his gaze flickering to LJ, the boy drawing away, too engrossed in his paper to notice the adults talking, "You're so busy congratulating yourself on solving the puzzle, you don't notice that you're sticking your head in a noose."

Evy reached out quickly and plucked a hair from the Doctor's head.

"That isn't the only grey one," Clara tried to joke, wanting to keep the tension low incase LJ eventually sensed it, "If you are, er, having a cull."

"It's too short," Evy shook her head at the hair, and plucked one of her own, "Too long," and looked at Clara, "Clara?"

Clara sighed but pulled one out of her own head, handing it to the woman, watching as she merely held it dangling in her hand, "What are you doing?"

"She's trying to measure the air disturbance in the room," the Doctor murmured.

"Right," Clara frowned, "Moments when you know you are boring," but she held her breath when Evy let go of the hair, watching as it just floated straight down.

"Clara," Evy took her hand under the table, "Don't react…but this IS a trap, and everyone in this room is a part of it."

"Look at them," the Doctor warned her, nodding at the restaurant goers in the crowded room, all eating away, "Don't look!" he snapped when she turned to look at them.

"You just said to look!" she hissed.

"Look without looking," he gestured to a menu picking on up and looking over the top of it, Evy doing the same.

Clara sighed but took one up as well, glancing at the crowd, "They look fine to me. They're just eating."

"Really?" Evy gave her a pointed look.

Clara looked over her menu again, watching the people intently, frowning when she saw they weren't quite eating at all, just…mechanically moving, lifting their spoons and forks, but not taking the food into their mouths, their knives just jerking back and forth without cutting, "Ok, no. No, they're not eating."

"Something else they're not doing," the Doctor reached up to pluck a hair, holding it up for her to see him drop it, watching it go straight down, unaffected by any air movement in the room, "Breathing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so excited for Evy and LJ to be back! I cannot wait for the things coming in this story ^-^ I hope you're all ready for it }:)
> 
> I wanted to sort of change the moment for Clara and Vastra to Evy and her, Clara's seen regeneration in Evy before, so I couldn't see Vastra needing to talk to her about it here, but with how different the Doctor's was to Clara compared to Evy's I could see her needing to just learn more about it and be reassured that, if SHE changed, J would still love her :)
> 
> Next chapter...someone gets separated from the group, the cavalry might find themselves in need of saving, and something happens a child shouldn't see :(


	2. Deep Breath (Part 2)

Clara looked over at the diners once more, her eyes widening to see that they really didn't appear to be breathing and their motions, they were far too jerky to be those of a normal human, their expressions were fixed, if she had to guess, she'd think they were robots, animatronics of some sort. She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering to LJ who was still just scribbling away on his paper, and back to the Doctor and Evy, "What do we do?" she asked them under her breath.

"Well, you don't want to eat, do you?" the Doctor asked.

Clara gave him an unamused look, "Slightly lost my appetite," she deadpanned, "How long before they notice that we're different?"

"Not long," Evy sighed, "The fact we're breathing will tip them off eventually if they aren't aware by now. We could hold our breath a fair bit longer than humans…" she glanced at Clara, adding when she saw a slightly confused look, "Respiratory Bypass System," before continuing, "But LJ's lungs are smaller…"

"Couldn't we just casually stroll out of here, like we've changed our minds?" Clara offered.

The Doctor looked at Evy for that, nodding in thought, "Happens all the time," he agreed.

"Especially when dining with Jack," she remarked.

"When did you go to dinner with Jack?" he frowned.

Evy rolled her eyes, "I WAS with Torchwood for a while before you came to pop in. Long enough to eat with them a time or two, go shopping, help fix some of their tech, tweak Tosh's…"

"Oi," Clara cut in with a small hiss, "Hello, restaurant full of robots we need to sneak past here."

"Right, yes," the Doctor nodded, standing up with Evy as Clara did the same, the girl turning to reach for LJ only to freeze when the other diners all stood instantly at the same time. He glanced at Evy and Clara for that, holding up a hand signaling them to wait a moment, before he took a step away from the table…the diners moving a step closer to him in return, "Or…" he glanced at them, stepping back to the table, making the diners take a step back too, "We could take another look at the menu."

Evy let out an unhappy breath at that but sat down once more, Clara moving beside her.

"Mummy!" LJ cheered, not seeming to notice the funny people that were walking about back to their tables as he held up his paper, "Mummy!"

Clara reached out and took the paper, sliding it Evy who laughed at the sight of it, a soft smile on her face, "It's lovely LJ," she slid it to the Doctor to see.

"Oh yes," he nodded, "Going right on the TARDIS refrigerator," he agreed, before leaning in to whisper to the women, "That is a thing, right? That's what parents do with this?"

"Yes," Clara said quickly, "Yes that is what parent do, AFTER they've managed to escape a room full of robots that won't let them leave," she reminded them, though she could understand the distraction, the picture LJ had done was stick figures of the Doctor, Evy, and even her, along with LJ who was sitting on top of a rectangle that looked like doors with windows on them, the TARDIS.

It was adorable.

"Well we don't know for sure that they're robots," Evy murmured, folding the paper to put into her pocket, "They seem a bit too basic to really be robots. Puppets maybe…"

"Does that REALLY make a difference?" Clara shook her head, "We're still trapped here."

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "And that is a question. What is here? What is this restaurant? What's it for? Why disguise it as a restaurant?"

"You had to ask that question," Evy sighed, shaking her head as she reached for the menu once more, "That's like asking a cannibal what's for dinner when they've invited you to it," she quickly looked over the menu, trying to see if there were any hints about what exactly the restaurant did, names could be very telling.

"Oh, er," the Doctor looked up as a waiter walked over to them, stiffly, just as jerkily as the other diners had moved, clearly some sort of robot as well, "No sausages? Do you? And there's no pictures either," he glanced at LJ, "Do you have a children's menu?" he asked after a moment, the boy had, thankfully, started to draw on his small serving tray of his seat with the pencil…something he was sure would drive the TARDIS mad if he did that on her walls, but right now he'd rather his son distracted than to reprimand him for doing something like that. He blinked when the waiter held up a pencil at him, a small green light shining out of it and scanning him, "Any…specials?"

"Liver," the waiter remarked, voice so utterly flat that it could only be a robot of some sort.

"He don't like liver," Evy remarked offhandedly, watching the waiter carefully over the top of her menu.

"Spleen. Brain stem. Eyes."

"Is there a lot of demand for those?" Clara grimaced slightly at the thought. She could sort of understand the spleen and eyes, but brain stem? Urg.

Evy sighed, setting the menu down, "I knew it," she muttered, "WE are the menu."

"Lungs," the waiter continued, "Skin."

"Ok, you can stop now," Evy gave the waiter a look, pursing her lips.

The Doctor quickly stood, "Excuse me," and reached out to the waiters waxy skin, pulling it away to reveal nothing but what seemed like metal mesh behind it with a flame just barely visible behind that. Ok, well, if he'd been hoping to find some sort of structure that could tell them what type of robot or from what era or planet it was from, easily identifiable with robots, he was sorely mistaken.

And had only served to reveal to the diners that they were aware of the robots now.

"Robot in a mask?" Clara frowned.

"Face, actually," Evy remarked as the Doctor sat back down and passed her the 'mask' to look at.

"Yeah, it's very convincing," Clara glanced at it, taking it as Evy handed it to her to look at.

"A REAL face."

"Oh, ew!" Clara threw it as far away from her as she could.

"Awww," LJ pouted at that, making the three look over to see the little boy was pouting and looking at where the 'mask' had fallen, clearly he'd wanted to be able to touch the squishy mask.

' _Your son,_ ' Evy's voice called in the Doctor's head, ' _Your son, entirely, wanting to poke at things._ '

The Doctor just grinned at that, about to respond when the waiter spoke again, "Yes."

"Yes, what?" the Doctor looked back over at him.

"Yes, we have a children's menu."

That was enough to make the Doctor and Evy move to surge to their feet, to block the waiter's gaze that had turned to their son, the implication that they didn't just take adults but children as well unsettling to them. But just as they pushed themselves to get up, metal arms shot out from the back of the bench and locked around them. It looked they had actual hands on the ends of them, allowing the fingers to lock together, trapping the three of them to the bench as it slowly began to lower into the restaurant. The Time Lords weren't sure if it was a good thing or not that LJ's baby chair was also descending with them. They would rather the boy with them, yes, but descending into something so unknown left them uneasy.

"You've got to admire their efficiency," the Doctor muttered as they went down.

"Is it ok if I don't?" Clara struggled in her chair, trying to break through, but having no luck.

The only thing that brightened up the trip was LJ's excited squealing as they rode the small platform down to the bottom, the boy clapping and excited to see where they were going.

' _Your son,_ ' Evy muttered to the Doctor once more. Only the Doctor's son could be so excited about them being trapped and descending into the unknown.

The unknown, as it turned out, ended up being a large circular room that appeared to have quite a steampunk feel to it. It was made of dark brown metal, with brass and rivets galore, numerous people standing in alcoves carved around the room in the fashions of the time, all of them too still to not be robots as well though they appeared deactivated at the moment. Just off from the middle of the room was a man sitting on a chair, or what appeared to be a man, they were behind it so they couldn't be certain.

"Hello?" the Doctor called to the seated figure, "Hello, are you the manager? I demand to speak to the manager."

Evy gave his leg a little kick, "Is it really the wisest thing to do? Wake them up? We're as surrounded down here as we were up there but here they don't seem to be active."

Clara sighed, "So, not a restaurant then?"

The Doctor nodded, "It's more a sort of automated organ collection station for the unwary diner. Sweeney Todd without the pies."

"Lovely," Clara grimaced, struggling a bit more in her restraints before looking around, "So where are we now? The larder?"

"Could be," Evy agreed, "Has the makings of a very old spaceship though. Centuries old at a guess."

Clara nodded, looking over at the room, trying to see what Evy and the Doctor did, the signs of it being a spaceship, the signs of how old it was. She saw the Time Lords (and the Cap'n) what felt like so infrequently that she wanted to absorb everything she could. Her life had been human for so long, then she'd met the Doctor and Evy, travelled with them once a week while being a nanny. And then she'd stepped into a time tunnel and stepped out as a Time Lady. Ever since then it was still once a week with the Time Lords but so much more time with the Captain. But even then, she still went about her human life, she was still a teacher, she still had work to grade and marks to give and a flat of her own and though she saw the Captain more than his parents, she still wasn't with him every second of the day. She knew the day was coming though, the day where she'd want to be, where she'd want to do nothing but the travelling, with the Captain, and she wanted to be ready for it, she wanted to know what she was doing.

"If it doubles as a larder though," Clara began after a moment, "How come they haven't activated? How come no one's come for us?"

"We're alive," the Doctor said simply.

"We're alive in a larder?"

"It's cheaper than freezing us."

"Ok," Clara shook her head, "And how are we getting out of the larder then?"

The Doctor and Evy began to wiggle in their seats both of them trying to reach for something that the Doctor got first, the man managing to shake the sonic out of his coat quickly as, with the way Evy's arms were locked to her she couldn't shift them to her pocket where her own sonic was. Unfortunately the sonic rolled onto the floor.

"Wonderful."

Evy just smiled and focused on the sonic, "Ready, Doctor?" she called.

He looked at her and frowned but nodded, holding his hand open as wide as it could go and, a moment later, the sonic flew from the ground right into it. He quickly soniced his restraints open, doing the same to Evy's, taking her face in his hand and searching her eyes for any sign of distress or pain. She'd managed to develop that little telekinetic talent after years spent in a mental institution and, many times in the past, it hurt her to use it, normally with heavier things or larger objects than the sonic, but he could never be too careful.

Evy smiled, taking his hands from her face, "I'm fine," she reassured him, leaning in to give him a quick peck, only for him to lean further in and try to deepen it, not having been able to really kiss his Link since all this happened.

"As cute as I'm sure that is," Clara's voice cut in, "There's a little boy here currently covering his eyes and making faces at it…and I'd rather not watch it either."

"Brat," the Doctor muttered to Clara, pulling away from Evy's smiling face to turn, flicking on the sonic to release Clara as well. He stood and moved to LJ, the boy was literally covering his eyes and sticking out his tongue at his parents' display of affection, "One day boyo," he shook his head at his son fondly as he picked him up and out of his chair, setting him down quickly.

The boy had taken to insisting that he walk places on his own and his parents were only all too keen to indulge him. They still held his hand though, knowing him and the genes he possessed (thanks to the Doctor) if they let go he'd take off running and never stop.

The trio and LJ stepped into the circular room, looking around a moment to try and assess the situation. Clara moved cautiously closer to one of the men standing in the nearest alcove, leaning in just a bit, waving her hand before its eyes, and stepping back quickly, "I think it's dormant," she called, moving back to them, "So, is it these guys that killed the dinosaur?"

"Well, if they're harvesting organs, a dinosaur would have some great stuff," the Doctor remarked.

"Why would robots need organs? Burke and Hare from space?"

"No, but that's a good theory. Droids harvesting spare parts. That rings a bell…"

"Pompy!" LJ tugged on his father's arm, "Pompy-door!"

The Doctor linked at that, "Madame de Pompadour," he realized, "Well done, boyo!"

"What?" Clara gave him a look for that.

"I was on a ship once," the Doctor waved it off as they moved more to the center of the room, "The droids there were using the crew as spare parts for the ship, hearts for an engine, eyes for the cameras, they were trying to take Madame de Pompadour's brain for their control system."

"That was with Rose, wasn't it?" Evy glanced at him, not having been there for that trip, but having heard him tell the story to LJ at bedtime.

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Ick," LJ muttered, sticking out his tongue at the mention of Rose, making Clara give him a small smile for it. She could still recall his older-self's reaction to Rose when the Zygons had tried to attack. Though, to be fair, she wasn't sure if it was just Rose that was 'ick' or girls in general.

Evy paused as they made it around the figure that had been sitting down to see that it was indeed a man, one that seemed to only have half a face, the other half very obviously mechanical and robotic in nature, "Oh Captain, my Captain."

Clara couldn't help but laugh at that, earning a small smirk from Evy as they glanced at LJ for it. The Doctor rolled his eyes at that, recalling how River tended to greet their son with the very same line.

"Can he see us?" Clara looked back at the robot, wondering which side, which eye, might be working, if they were at all.

Evy pulled out her sonic and scanned it quickly, "Dormant."

"For how long?"

"Till he's finished recharging," Evy pointed to a wire running from the chair to the wall."

"He's asleep," the Doctor agreed, "Doesn't even know we're here."

"Are you sure?" Clara glanced at him.

He just shrugged, "Sure. Not sure. One or the other."

"Ok," Clara shook her head, not bothering to ask which it was, "So, half-man, half-robot. A cyborg, yeah?"

"A badly put together one," Evy agreed, gesturing at the man's hands, "Do you see those?"

"His hands?" Clara frowned, "What about them?"

"Notice anything odd about them?"

Clara moved closer and frowned, eyeing them intently, before she blinked, "They don't match. That's a man," she pointed to a large, muscled one, "And a woman's," and a smaller, dainty one.

"It seems like this is not your normal cyborg," the Doctor mused, scooping LJ up and holding the boy so that he could look closer at the arms himself, better to hold him than let their son climb all over the robotic man without knowing when he'd wake, "This isn't a man turning himself into a robot. This is a robot turning himself into a man, piece by piece."

"That's what the restaurant's for," Clara realized.

Evy nodded, "Just like on Hedgewick's world," she sighed, "It's a constant supply of spare parts."

"You can tan skin, but organs rot…" the Doctor began.

"Not in front of our son, dear," Evy called, cutting him for from likely adding even more gruesome detail.

"Some of that metalwork looks Roman," the Doctor changed the subject, looking around the room, "Wonder how long it's been around…"

"I wonder how much of the original robot is even left?" Evy murmured, scanning him more thoroughly with her sonic, "The eyeballs are very fresh…"

She was cut off suddenly when the cyborg's arms jerked, making them all jump back as it grabbed the chair arms and the sound of clockwork and ticking began to sound from within it.

"Yes!" LJ cheered, clapping and watching the cyborg eagerly as though excited it was starting to wake up, making the three adults look at him.

Clara could only shake her head at that, oh she was SO going to have her hands full with his future-self, wasn't she?

"Is it awake?" Clara looked at the Time Lords for that, at Evy.

"It's waking up," Evy corrected, putting her sonic back in her pocket.

"Ok," the Doctor bobbed LJ a moment, "Let's go," he turned and hurried towards a doorway just on the other side of the room, moving through it with LJ, Evy and Clara just behind them…when the door slammed down, cutting the men from the women, "Evy!" he spun around, rushing back to the door, looking through the small window to see that the cyborg had woken and had its arm raised, clearly the one that had closed the door to separate them.

Evy quickly pulled out her sonic, scanning the door as the Doctor did the same, "Quickly…" Clara murmured, glancing back at the cyborg to see that it was starting to stand, unplugging itself as it went.

"The locks are too complex," Evy muttered, looking up at the Doctor, "It'll take too long to get open, go."

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "I'm not leaving you."

"Mummy!" LJ reached for her, starting to cry slightly at seeing his mother and Clara trapped away from him, "Clara!"

"It'll be ok," Evy told him, leaning closer, "You go, get out, get to the TARDIS," she ordered lightly, "Come and get us."

"But…"

"I am your Link," Evy reminded him, seeing his reluctance to leave her, knowing how he could be when she was in danger, "I can handle myself, I can buy time, talk my way out of this, till you can get us out. Just go. Please," she reached up to touch the small opening in the door, "Get our son to safety first."

The Doctor's jaw tensed at that, knowing that was the one thing that Evy could say that would make him leave, "I WILL be back," he promised her, "I will."

"I know," she smiled, "And there'll be a rather large kiss in it for you if you manage it in…" she considered it, "Five minutes?"

"Mummy…" LJ sniffled, sensing that his father was growing determined, that his mother was unafraid even if Clara seemed on edge, "Mummy no!"

Evy turned to reach through the little window to him, taking his hand, "You keep your father out of trouble," she told the boy, "And then you both can come and rescue mummy and Clara, won't that be a magnificent adventure? Rescuing US for a change?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that, but nodded, quickly grabbing her hand as she moved to pull it back through the window, kissing it quickly, "See you in 2 minutes," he promised, before turning to run off.

Evy took a breath and watched them go, not turning till they were out of sight around a corner, "Clara?"

"Yeah?" Clara swallowed hard, trying not to show how scared she was to be left in a room of robots that would likely tear them apart to try and use them for equipment.

"Ready for a lesson in how to keep yourself alive while your Link works on a way to save you?" Evy murmured.

"All too," Clara nodded.

"Good," Evy turned to her, "First rule, stay calm. Appear confident. Do NOT show fear. Use what you know."

"Right, ok," Clara took a breath, "Then what?"

"Talk," Evy stated, "Just…keep talking," she gave Clara a reassuring look and turned, her back straight, her chin up as she walked right back into the middle of the room, to the cyborg as it just started to step off of the chair's little platform.

Clara hurried to her side, just barely holding in a gasp as the cyborg activated the other robots in the room, all of them starting to move in their alcoves.

"No," Evy shook her head, crossing her arms, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The cyborg turned his head in an almost questioning manner.

"You call in your army, you'll have to deal with the fight that follows," Evy continued, "And you're not exactly in the best state to try and fight, are you?" she eyed the robot, "You're too slow, you're too stiff, and you're made of metal, which means that your signals can be interfered with," she pulled out her sonic, handing it to Clara, "Setting 345A," she told the girl.

"What?" Clara shook her head, taking the sonic from her.

' _You just point and think,_ ' Evy's voice spoke in her head, nearly making her gasp, she still wasn't used to how Evy could do that, she was used to the Captain being in her head, but not his parents, ' _Think about causing static interference, like the high pitched noises that machines make when they short circuit._ '

Clara nodded subtly at that, clutching the sonic.

"You call them off," Evy looked at the cyborg, "Or we stop them ourselves. And you don't have the man power or robot power to waste if they end up damaged, nor do you have the spare parts to fix them."

The cyborg just lifted an arm as though calling his army to him, and indeed that was what appeared to be happening as the robots began to jerkily move out of their alcoves towards them.

"Don't like threats then?" Evy sighed, "You know what I don't like either? When no one listens to me. Clara?" she turned to the girl who held up the sonic, flicking it on and sending out a high pitched whirr that made the robots stagger back, their bodies jerking as though they were starting to short circuit from within. Evy gave her a nod to stop and turned back to the cyborg that had stumbled back onto its chair, "Now, shall we TALK about this instead of trying to intimidate us?"

The cyborg lowered his arm, the robots stilling a moment before they shuffled back into their alcoves.

"Better. Now, what would you like to know?"

"Where are the other ones?" the cyborg demanded, its voice sounding almost identical to the waiter from above, "There were two others. Where are they? Where are the others?"

"Now why would I tell you that?" Evy shook her head, "Why would either of us?" she reached out and gently tugged Clara to stand beside her though a step behind, letting Clara observe how to handle herself in a situation like this.

"You will tell us, or you will be destroyed."

Evy snorted, not seeming at all worried about it, which made Clara glance at her, "If I had a penny for every person that threatened to destroy me, or my son, or my Link, I'd be a rich woman. You're not the first to threaten that, you won't be the last. And do you know what happened to every other person that HAS threatened to destroy us?"

The cyborg was silent.

"Well, let's just say they don't last very long afterwards. My Link, the Doctor, is very protective of his family and you've got two members of them stuck with you right now. How do YOU think he'll react when he finds out you threatened that?"

"You will tell us!"

"Or what?" Clara spoke up, wanting to help, wanting to be involved, wanting to learn and there was no other way she knew she'd feel comfortable than with Evy beside her, teaching her and helping her along, covering for her if she made a mistake, guiding her.

"You will die."

"Yeah," Clara hissed at that, "Bit hard to kill us. Seriously. You try, we'll just come right back…and probably end up destroying you in the process," she added, thinking of how the Doctor had taken out the Daleks on Christmas with his regeneration energy.

"Very good," Evy nodded, "Always be confident, always have the upper hand, make yourself too valuable to lose."

"You will tell us where the other two are!"

"Nope," Clara shook her head.

"You will be destroyed!"

Evy sighed, glancing at Clara, speaking quietly, "Robots are always the hardest to deal with," she warned her, "Robots, androids, Cybermen, all rely on logic and end up repeating themselves quite a bit. Gets tedious after a while. Try it," she nodded at the Cyborg, "Out-logic them."

Clara blinked at that, not sure if she could, but Evy gave her an encouraging nod so she stepped closer, right beside her instead of behind her, "You would have to destroy me, wouldn't you?" she began, "'Cos if you don't, then we're not going to believe a single threat you make from now on. Then again, if we're dead, then we can't tell you where the others went then. You need to keep this place down here a secret, don't you? Never start with your final sanction. You've got nowhere to go but backwards."

"Very well done," Evy smiled at her, making Clara beam in response to the praise.

"Humans feel pain," the cyborg tried to threaten.

"Would work, if we were human," Clara countered.

"All living beings feel pain. The information can be extracted by means of your suffering."

"And yet suffering still inherently means being alive to do it," Evy shook her head, sounding almost bored, making Clara stifle a laugh, she could see why the Doctor loved her so much, she was just as bad as he was, "So we've moved from killing us to just prolonging our lives? I should warn, we have very good pain tolerance so it would take quite a while before we'd actually crack and, in that time, before you could even try I'm sure, we'd already be rescued so it would be a moot point to threaten us really. Discussion, however, negotiation…that's a different story," it would be a way to not give information to their enemy but gain it from them.

"What's he doing?" Clara whispered as the cyborg stood once more, pulling one of its hands off, literally pulled its entire arm off and clamped it to his lapel.

"He's going to try and scare us," Evy whispered to her as the cyborg revealed a flame thrower on its arm, "Fear can be an effective tool if you let them see it's working. Take the power away from them, laugh, smile, joke, anything you can to throw them off."

Clara nodded at that, watching the cyborg turn to them, a flame erupting from its arm, "We will not negotiate," it stated.

"You don't have a choice," Evy remained calm, "You want your questions answered, you answer ours as well. Fair trade."

"We will not answer questions."

"Why did you kill the dinosaur?" Evy merely started the question, "You want us to talk, you talk, that's how it goes and it won't change. You want answers, we'll here's how you'll get them, trade. Not threats, not death, not torture, even exchange."

' _Make them think they're winning,_ ' Evy's voice spoke in Clara's mind, ' _Make them think they have the upper hand, that you're willing._ '

"Now, why did you kill the dinosaur?"

The cyborg was silent a moment, before it finally answered, "Within the optic nerve of the dinosaur is material of use to our computer systems."

"You really burned a whole dinosaur for a spare part?" Clara gaped at it.

"Knew that already Clara," Evy murmured.

"Right, I mean…" she racked her brain for a better question, "Wait…you know what's in a dinosaur's optic nerve? That means you've seen them before."

"Where are the other ones?" the cyborg returned.

"How long have you been rebuilding yourselves?" Clara was fixated on that, "Look at the state of you. Is there any real you left?"

' _Mention their main objective,_ ' Evy nudged, ' _Robots are always ingrained with their programming, bring it up and they'll want to state it._ '

"What's the point?"

"We will reach the promised land," the cyborg stated.

"The Promised Land?" Evy frowned.

"Where are the other ones?"

"Oh, don't know," Evy shrugged, "They ran off, haven't a clue where they actually are right now."

It was a lie, she knew, but the robot wouldn't know that. And she had to be very careful not to let what she did know show on her face, because she was quite sure the Doctor had actually lost his mind with what he was planning to do.

"I'm sure you'll see him soon enough," Evy waved it off, "Now if you are quite finished with that," she gestured at his arm, "Clara, setting 14 on the chair please," she gestured at the wire running into it.

' _Cut the power,_ ' Clara heard in her mind and nodded, focusing on that as she flicked it at the chair, making the lights go out, assuming that they'd be trying to escape fairly soon.

"Thank you," Evy nodded, "See, robots are rather useless when you've cut the power source. And with how ancient your tech is, if we were to use setting C49 on it, it could blow this entire room, probably the entire ship up. So don't test us, ok?" she smiled at him, putting her hands on her hips, "Never try to con a mother into telling you where her son is."

"Hold on," Clara cut in gently, a question niggling at her, "Why are you so set on finding them in the first place? Why did you invite us here?" she eyed the cyborg, "WAS it you? Was it you that put the message in the paper?"

The cyborg was silent, not giving a yes or no though they both had the feeling that the answer was likely negative.

"Well, I think that's just about all the useful information we'll be getting out of him," Evy murmured, "And it seems the Doctor's had a bit of trouble getting back to the TARDIS," she looked at Clara, "Care to say the word and get us out of here?"

"What?" Clara glanced at her.

"As though Vastra would let you come here, with our son, without some sort of way to protect you or extract you if you needed it?"

Clara smiled at that and reached up to touch a broach she was wearing on the collar of her gown, making it glow blue, "Geronimo!" she called into it.

And just a moment later two women fell down from the ceiling in black catsuits, dangling from long pieces of what looked like silk attached to their waists, whipping out swords the moment they were on the ground.

"Remain still," Vastra turned to the cyborg, "And lay down your weapons in the name of the British Empire."

"Argh!" they could hear Strax cry out before he promptly fell from the ceiling, a large gun clutched in his arms even as he hit the ground, his own piece of fabric not long enough to help him descend.

"Strax," Vastra huffed.

"Sorry," he mumbled, scrambling to his feet.

"I've told you before. Take the stairs."

"Stairs are boring," another voice spoke and, slowly sliding down Vastra's fabric, the Doctor slid into the room.

"Oh look what the cavalry dragged in," Evy shook her head, a fond smile on her face as she moved to take her son from the Doctor's arms, hugging him, "Have a bit of trouble finding the TARDIS?"

"Ran into them," he nodded at Vastra, Jenny, and Strax, "Thought it would get you out faster than to run all the way back to Vastra's and not even know if the TARDIS was ready."

"Clara!" LJ wiggled in his mother's arms till she put him down and he ran to hug her legs, making her smile.

"Now," the Doctor looked over at the cyborg, glad that his son was distracted, "I do believe you threatened my Link?"

"I burned an ancient, beautiful creature for one inch of optic nerve," the cyborg threatened, "What do you think you can accomplish, little man?"

"What do you?" the Doctor eyed the robot, unfazed, "Vastra?"

Vastra stepped forward and held up her sword to the cyborg, "The establishment upstairs has been disabled with maximum prejudice, and the authorities summoned."

"Hang on, she called the police?" Clara looked over, picking LJ up into her arms, anticipating, now that the Doctor was there, there would be running involved very soon, "We never do that. We should start."

"Well, we DO travel in a police box," Evy remarked with a small laugh, "We'd probably end up calling ourselves."

"You see?" the Doctor ignored the small chatter, stepping up to the cyborg, "Destroy us if you will, they're still going to close your restaurant…" he frowned, glancing back at Clara and Evy, both of whom looked amused by what he'd said, "That was going to sound better…"

"I'm sure it was," Evy patted his arm as he moved over to her, sliding his arm around her waist.

"Then we will destroy you!" the cyborg shouted, lifting his other arm, activating the robots to step forwards, all of them pulling their arms off to reveal swords and other weapons beneath.

No, you won't," the Doctor rolled his eyes though Clara could see him squeeze Evy tighter to him, "You're logical. You have restraint. You killed to survive. You're not a murderer."

"He's not a what?" Clara scoffed, "This is a…" she pressed a hand over LJ's ears, hissing, "Slaughterhouse!" at them.

"And how does that make it different from any other restaurant? You weren't vegetarian the last time I checked."

"The point is," Evy got them back to task, "This is over, it's finished," she told the cyborg, "Killing us won't make a difference so what would be the point?"

"To find the promised land," the cyborg stated, mistaking her words for a question on their prime directive.

"You're millions of years old," the Doctor shook his head, "It's time you knew, there isn't one."

"I am in search of paradise," it jerkily turned to the other robots in the room, "I will leave in the escape capsule. Destroy where necessary," it ordered.

"Escape capsule?" Vastra frowned, "This ship is millions of years old. It'll never fly."

"It has been repaired," it turned and started moving towards the bench that had taken the Time Lords down.

"What people?" Clara glanced at the Time Lords, they could only nod grimly.

"Defensive positions, everyone!" Strax called as the robots began to head towards them.

"Go!" Vastra called to them, "We will hold here," she urged them on after the cyborg.

"Come on!" Evy grabbed the Doctor's hand and pulling him towards the bench as it started to head up, taking the cyborg away from them, letting him get away. They'd only just gotten to the edge of it and it was already halfway up their bodies with no way to get on it.

"Give him to me," the Doctor turned to Clara who had run with them, taking LJ from her and ducking down, moving under the bench's platform, securing his son in one arm and grabbing a hand hold under the platform with the other, Evy and Clara hurrying to do the same as it raised them up into the air.

Evy kept her gaze on the Doctor, but he made no indication at all that it was a struggle to hold their son and himself up, his face set in a determination to not leave their son down there surrounded by the robots. The doors had opened just as they'd reached the bench, revealing the diners from the restaurant so they knew that the building above them was likely empty save for the cyborg by now. The moment the bench stopped moving she made her way closer to the Doctor, to a hatch in the floor and pulled out her sonic, flashing it at the lock and pushing the hatch open. She climbed through it, Clara after her, reaching down in to take LJ as the Doctor handed the boy over before climbing out himself to see that the restaurant was indeed empty, only the cyborg was there, at a control panel on the other side of the room.

"Clara," Evy turned to her, placing LJ into her lap, "You two STAY here," she told her, a warning finger raised when Clara tried to argue, "Please. Leave this to us, just…keep LJ safe."

Clara sighed but nodded, curling her arms around the boy and moving to sit on the edge of the bench's platform, not trusting to sit on the bench and get trapped like last time, LJ on her lap as the two Time Lords headed across the room, the cyborg not even noticing till the Doctor began to pour three glasses of whiskey, the tinkling of the glass making the robot look over.

"What are you doing?" it asked.

The Doctor looked back at LJ and turned to the cyborg again, keeping his voice low so his son wouldn't hear him, "I've got the horrible feeling I'm going to have to kill you," he admitted, "I thought you might appreciate a drink first. I know I would," he held up his glass, handing it to Evy and taking another even as the cyborg turned its back on them and pulled a lever in the control panel.

"51st century?" Evy guessed, "You crashed farther back in time than you planned and you've been spending all this time trying to get home."

"I go to the promised land," the cyborg shook its head.

"So you keep saying," the Doctor muttered, knocking back his drink and taking a breath, "Ok, so your restaurant is made out of your old ship. But you're wasting your time. It can't ever fly."

"The escape pod is viable."

"How?" Evy frowned at that, "You can't actually repair a space ship, metal parts, with organic human remains."

But just as she finished speaking the room began to shake, the ship actually powering up, working.

"Ok…" the Doctor blinked at that, "That's clever."

"How are you powering it?" Evy turned to the cyborg.

"Skin," was all it said before the room shook even more.

The Time Lords looked over at windows, seeing that the restaurant was lifting into the air, starting to fly into the sky, and there, just beside a fuse box in the wall near the control panel was an inscription, "SS Marie Antoinette," the Doctor muttered.

"How would you kill me?" the cyborg spoke once the ship had started to fly off above the buildings of London, turning to face them.

"Why don't you have a drink first?" the Doctor gestured at the last glass of whiskey still sitting there, "It's only human."

"I am not human."

"Neither are we," Evy remarked, drinking her glass, before noticing they were drifting past Saint Paul's Cathedral and moved over to a glass doorway, looking down at where they were.

"What do you think of the view?" the Doctor asked as he moved to join his Link.

"I do not think of it," the cyborg stated.

"I don't think of it," he corrected with a huff, "I don't. Droids and apostrophes, I could write a book."

"Except for the fact that he's barely a droid now," Evy eyed the cyborg, still standing at the control panel, glimpsing Clara out of the corner of her eye, watching them intently, "You've spent so long trying to become human after all."

"So tell us," the Doctor nodded at the glass, "What do you think of the view?"

The cyborg was still a moment before he shuffled over to the doorway, the Doctor and Evy moving to the side to allow him to see out, to see Westminster Bridge drawing nearer, "It is beautiful."

"No, it isn't," the Doctor shook his head, "It's just far away. Everything looks too small. I prefer it down there. Everything is huge. Everything is so important. Every detail, every moment, every life clung to."

The cyborg looked up at him at that, tilting its head in a way that disturbingly reminded the Doctor of Evy's 10th incarnation, "How could you kill me?"

"For the same reason that you're asking me that question, because you don't really want to carry on."

"If you're deactivated permanently," Evy began, "Will that affect the other droids? You're the control node, if you deactivate, so should they. They'll stop attacking our friends, they'll stop trying to complete your mission and killing more humans."

"I will not die," the cyborg straightened, "I will reach the promised land."

"There isn't any promised land," the Doctor repeated, "This is just. It's a superstition that you have picked up from all the humanity you've stuffed inside yourself."

"I am not dead."

"You are a broom," the Doctor sighed, rubbing his forehead in frustration till Evy took his hand in support, "Ok, question," he looked at the robot, "You take a broom, you replace the handle, and then later you replace the brush, and you do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer? No, of course it isn't. But you can still sweep the floor. Which is not strictly relevant…"

Evy leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Focus, Doctor."

He nodded, "So you have replaced every piece of yourself, mechanical and organic, time and time again. There's not a trace of the original you left. You probably can't even remember where you got that face from."

Evy reached into her pocket and pulled out a mirror for the cyborg to look at his face in, allowing the robot to take it as he gazed closer at it…before dropping it, "Well there's 7 years bad luck…"

"It cannot end," the cyborg stated.

"It _has_ to," the Doctor countered, "You know it does. And there's only one way out," he turned and pushed the doors open.

"Self-destruction is against my basic program."

"And murder is against mine," the Doctor stated, glancing back at Clara and LJ and back, "That is not what I want my son to see. That is not something I want to teach him, to murder."

"You are stronger than you look. To resist what you wish to do."

"And I'm hoping you are too," the Doctor nodded, "This is over. Are you capable of admitting that?"

"Do you have it in you to murder me?"

"This planet is precious to us," Evy told him, "And those people down there," she gestured at the roads below them, "All of them are important to us. And you have been hurting them, killing them, using them. We have done far worse in the past to protect them, deactivating one cyborg is nothing compared to that."

"Don't make assumptions about how far we will go to protect them," the Doctor warned, "Because I've already come a very long way. And unlike you, I don't expect to reach the promised land," he eyed the cyborg carefully, squeezing Evy's hand, "You realize, of course, one of us is lying about our basic programming."

"Yes," the cyborg gave a jerky nod.

"And I think we both know who that is."

The cyborg looked at them a long while, holding their gazes, before his flickered to Clara and LJ, and back. Perhaps it was a testament to just how human the cyborg had been able to make himself, perhaps it was a cry to how human he wanted to be, but he turned and let himself fall out of the doorway, let himself race down towards the ground till he was impaled on a spire at the top of a building, Clara quickly putting her hand over LJ's eyes the moment she realized what the cyborg was about to do.

That was not something any child needed to see.

~8~

Clara breathed out as she stepped into the TARDIS after the Doctor and Evy, LJ walking between them. They'd managed to get the escape pod set down, leaving it to Vastra and Jenny and Strax to deal with, the three of them (Clara was a bit surprised that SHE was one of the three) wanting to just get back to the TARDIS and check on the box, to get out of there and onto their next adventure. That and LJ was very excited at the prospect of a 'new Tardy!' as he kept shouting the whole way there. It seemed like the last time the Doctor regenerated the TARDIS had changed shape on the inside, that it had done it again around a Christmas, and LJ wanted to see if it would do so again.

Apparently it had. It was a rather…more mature setting, less like a cold alien machine and like a cross between what it had been and a library of sorts. There were steps leading up to the console, and more around it, one to the side that led to a leather armchair, and one in the middle that led to a gallery that had a line of bookshelves across it with a large blackboard too.

"You've redecorated," she called up to the box.

' _Yes I have,_ ' the TARDIS responded.

"And fixed the chip back in I see," Evy remarked, moving to the console to check on the chip she'd made that had allowed the TARDIS to speak to them.

' _Of course,_ ' came the response, sounding as though the box were rolling her eyes at them, ' _I've been silent for too long, you can't shut me up now if you tried._ '

"Nor would we want to," the Doctor patted the console, picking LJ up to show him the new controls as the boy was on ship tip toes trying to see.

"I like it," Clara smiled, making the box hum in happiness.

"Round things!" LJ cheered, pointing over his father's shoulders at what seemed to be almost a wallpaper of the roundels.

"Yes, boyo," the Doctor laughed, taking his pointed finger, "I used to have lots of round things. Real round things. I wonder where I put them?" he fell silent at that, looking down at the console in thought.

Evy moved over to him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "What is it?"

He looked at her, reaching out to touch her cheek, making Clara want to look away at the intimacy of the moment, making Clara smile as well at the memories of when the Captain would do that to her as well, "I've lived for over 2,000 years," he murmured, shocking Clara slightly at that. She knew he'd been about 1200 when she'd met him, that 300 years had passed on Christmas the first time she'd been parted from them, but she hadn't know so much time had passed in the second go, "Not all of them were good."

"I know," Evy reached up to touch his hand, "I've been in your head almost every single one of those years."

"I've made many mistakes, and…" he looked at his son, "It's about time that I did something about that," he kissed LJ's head, smiling as the boy tried to wave him off with a huff, "It's time I made up for that."

Evy smiled gently at that, at how he wanted to make amends, fix his mistakes, set a better example for their son, "Then we will," she told him, "Whatever you want."

He smiled at her, leaning in to rest his forehead to hers a moment.

Clara smiled at that, when a thought hit her, she still had Evy's sonic! She quickly reached into her pocket and pulled it out, only to pull out the advert clipping as well, "Who put that advert in the paper?" she had to ask, if it hadn't been them or the cyborg, then who?

The Time Lords looked over at her, Clara's expression going soft at the sight of LJ starting to drift away in his father's arms, "Who gave you our number?" the Doctor countered, "A long time ago, remember? You were given the number of a computer helpline, and you ended up phoning the TARDIS. Who gave you that number?"

"The woman," Clara answered, "The woman in the shop."

"Then there's a woman out there who's very keen that we all stay together," he eyed Clara, "How do you feel on the subject?"

Clara smiled at that, moving closer to them, "I wouldn't have it any other way!" she cheered, reaching out to hug them both, careful of LJ in his arms.

But the Doctor tensed, "I don't think that I'm a hugging person now…"

"I'm not sure you get a vote," Clara remarked.

"Your…boyfriend…won't like you hugging other men," he tried, being careful to not say Link around LJ, the boy just on the cusp of sleep.

"I think he'd make an exception in this case," she pulled back, giving him a pointed look, he was as good as her father-in-law in a way, if there was one man on the planet that the Captain wouldn't have an issue with her hugging it would be his own father.

Evy smiled at that, "How about I put him down for his nap," she reached out to take LJ from the Doctor, smiling as the boy's hand curled around her hair, "And the three of us go out for coffees, a nice normal trip to finish off this last doozy."

' _I know a lovely one in Glasgow!_ ' the box informed them.

The Doctor smiled, "I'd like that, yeah."

"Coffee would be great," Clara agreed, "You're buying, though."

"I don't have any money!"

"I do," Evy cut in with a roll of her eye, turning to head for the stairs to the halls, the Doctor and Clara following behind, the two heading for the wardrobe as she went for LJ's room, needing to change before setting out in the modern era in clothes from Victorian London.

Evy couldn't help but smile as they parted, the Doctor taking her hand to pull her to him, stealing a kiss from her that she owed him for returning to her in under five minutes, before she shook her head and pushed him away to the wardrobe with Clara. She turned, letting out a happy breath as she walked on, pressing a kiss to her son's head, mysterious adverts or phone calls or promised lands aside, they were all together still, and that was what mattered.

~8~

In a bright garden, the cyborg woke with a start, sitting up straight in his chair on a small, white patio overlooking a fountain where a woman in dark, Edwardian style clothing was sitting on the edge, her black hair pulled into a tight bun, her eyebrows as severe as her grin.

"Hello," she greeted, standing, "I'm Missy. You made it," she made her way over to him, sitting on the other side of a small table where a pot of tea was resting, "I hope my little darling's boyfriend wasn't too mean to you."

"Who?" the cyborg tilted his head.

But Missy just waved it off, "Now, did he push you out of that thing, or did you fall? He can be very mean sometimes, quite manipulative, even when he doesn't mean to be. Except to me, of course, he always means it when it comes to me," she sighed, "Misunderstandings in the past, bad blood, fights over a woman," she laughed, "Not that he ever realized it was because of that," she sighed, "Not sure about his new accent, though. She seems to like it though. Might keep it…"

"Where am I?" the cyborg inquired.

"Where do you think you are?" she smiled, gesturing around, "Look around you. You made it. The promised land. Paradise," she grinned, hopping up and throwing her arms out on either side of her, spinning around in a bit of a dance around the fountain, laughing as she went, the cyborg just watching on, "Welcome," she called, "To heaven."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to put in the phone conversation with 11, but it felt out of place here. Clara knew more about regeneration and handled it better so I couldn't really see 11 calling her to help her through it :( But I hope her acceptance of the new Doctor makes up for that :) I also wanted to sort of help set up Clara for later in the series with her and Evy facing the cyborg together. I tried to make it a sort of jumping off point/lesson for how Clara can help take care of herself and survive if she ever found herself alone without anyone there :) I know it was also implied in the show that the Doctor pushed the cyborg out of the ship, but here, with LJ watching, I couldn't see him do that so the cyborg tapped into his desires for humanity and took the plunge :)


	3. Into the Dalek (Part 1)

Evy smiled as she watched the Doctor sitting in his armchair, LJ on half on his lap, half sitting on the cushy arm of it, a book open in his lap as the man quietly read a story to their son. She couldn't tell what book it was, being too far away to see it or hear them, didn't feel like prying either by peeking into the Doctor's head. Whatever he was reading was making LJ grin and giggle and clap and that was all she needed to know for the moment.

' _Evy?_ ' the TARDS hummed around her, ' _My sensors are picking up a distress call…_ '

Evy looked down at the console, seeing one of the lights going off and glanced back at the Doctor, shaking her head at him that she had this and for him to keep reading to their son, before she moved around the console to see, "Oh," her eyes widened however when she saw what was sending out the signal and WHY on the monitor.

There was a massive Dalek saucer heading after a small little ship that was dodging through rock and debris. She could tell from the way the ship was smoking that it was in danger, that it was likely to either blow up or fail to maneuver properly and be open to the Dalek lasers firing at them. She moved over to another control, getting a reading and saw two blips of life within the shuttle, quickly moving to start piloting the box to the ship, ready to materialize around the blips…when one of the blips went out. Whatever had happened, one of the crew had been injured and just slipped away. She shook her head, she could still save the other one. She reached out and grabbed a lever, "Incoming guest," she called to the Doctor in warning, pulling the lever and watching as a young woman started to fade into existence, lying on the ground of the console. She was dressed in army garb, black, and currently rubbing her head, out of sorts.

"You may experience some slight sickness," she called to the woman.

But the moment the girl heard her voice, she scrambled up to her feet, pulling a gun out from her belt and aiming it right at Evy.

Evy held her hand up, catching sight of the Doctor standing in the corner of her eye, LJ now sitting in the armchair seat with the Doctor before him, signaling for him to wait, ' _She's just startled, Theta,_ ' she added quietly to the man, ' _Give her a mo to calm down._ '

"Where's my brother?" the girl demanded.

"I think you know," Evy gave her a solemn look, "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Hello," the Doctor called, seeing the woman tightening her grip on her gun and stepped closer, making her aware that she was outnumbered, "I'm the Doctor, and that is my Link, Evy, that you're pointing a gun at. Could you?" he made a lowering motion.

But the girl shook her head, "He was _right_ beside me. Where's Kai?! How did I get here?"

"I materialized our ship around you before the Dalek ship could blast yours to pieces."

"And my brother?"

"I wasn't about to subject my son to a corpse," Evy gave her a hard look, they'd made that mistake once with one of Clara's-echoes, she wasn't going to do it again, not for an utter stranger.

The Doctor scoffed as the woman scrunched her face, tears falling from her eyes, "Just saved your life one second before your ship exploded and no thanks at all, but do please keep crying," he muttered.

"My brother's just died!" the girl snapped at him.

"His sister didn't."

"Look, really, could you put the gun down?" Evy called her attention back to her.

"Or what?" the girl glared.

"Or nothing, but it would be rather useless in here," she gestured around, "We're in a state of temporal grace, guns don't work in it."

' _That's a lie,_ ' the Doctor mock-mocked in her head.

' _She doesn't need to know that,_ ' Evy countered.

The girl hesitated but slowly lowered her gun, not seeming to either want to shoot them or try and find that she really was defenseless.

"So who are you then?" the Doctor asked, glancing at LJ as the boy started to squirm and get himself slid off the armchair, moving to sit on the ground where some of his toys were. They'd decided to leave off the play pen, trusting that their son would be alright without it, that the TARDIS would be able to keep track of him if he got somewhere.

"I'm Lieutenant Journey Blue of the Combined Galactic Resistance," the girl stated, her back straightening with pride and training as she spoke, "I demand you take me back to my command ship, the Aristotle, which is currently located…"

"No," Evy shook her head, the Doctor smirking as her voice took on a scolding-mother tone, "We do not demand things of our hosts. That's rude."

"You _will_ take me back to my command ship, which is currently positioned…"

"Manners," Evy gave her a firm look.

"We ARE the ones with the ship," the Doctor moved down a few steps, "Best to be polite."

Journey's jaw clenched at that, but she took a breath, "Will you take me back to my ship?" she asked, still sounding very rude and frustrated, " _Please?_ " she added with an extra huff.

"Not quite polite," the Doctor muttered.

"But at least she said please," Evy shrugged, "And you've gotten more being far ruder than that," she moved to the console, the Doctor joining her as they searched for her ship.

"The Aristotle's the big fella parked in the asteroid belt, yeah?" the Doctor glanced at Journey as she nodded, the TARDIS starting to whirr and hum as she powered up.

"It's shielded," Journey informed them.

"You'd be surprised just how many shields don't count for a TARDIS," Evy remarked easily, pulling a lever and sending them off.

~8~

The TARDIS appeared in a small corner of a rather large base hanger, tucked away almost out of sight entirely, the doors opening as Journey stepped out, staring around in shock that they were actually on her ship. She spun around to thank the two pilots as they stepped out after her, LJ walking between them, when she spotted exactly what their ship looked like…a…box. A blue box. A SMALL blue box.

"It's smaller on the outside…" she murmured.

"Ooh so close to his favorite part," Evy chuckled.

"Bigger on inside!" LJ cheered, squeezing his parents' hands.

"That it is boyo," the Doctor smiled down at him, before he gave the room the onceover, "This isn't a battleship," he observed, he and Evy having thought it would be some sort of fighter ship if it was facing the Daleks, "Medical insignia," he spotted the marking on the wall, "It's a hospital."

"Right up your alley then," Evy nudged him gently, smiling.

But before the Doctor could reply that not even HE, a doctor, was fond of them, an older man with a short grey beard approached them with armed soldiers on either side of him, "We don't need hospitals now. The Daleks don't leave any wounded, and we don't take any prisoners."

"We know," Evy gave him a bit of a hard look for that, her thumb brushing over the back of LJ's hand at that. He hadn't been very scared of the Daleks before, he wasn't scared of them so long as his parents were around, or Clara, but she didn't want him to have to hear about how scary they should be if she could help it.

"My lovely Link saved your little friend here," the Doctor nodded at Evy, "If that's in any way relevant to mention. Perhaps for a proper thanks, which she still hasn't received…" this time he gave a look at Journey.

"That's true, sir," Journey turned to the man, not mentioning which part was the true one, even though both were, "She did."

"Thank you," the man turned to Evy for that.

"It's nothing," Evy waved it off.

"It's really not," the man shook his head, "I will forever be grateful. However, the security of this base is absolute. So we're still going to kill you."

"Oh, it's a roller coaster with you, isn't it?" the Doctor gave the man an unamused look, not at all fazed that the threat had been given. Even with LJ there, he doubted the man would actually do it. He'd been alive more than 2,000 years, he knew when humans were bluffing and when he'd be able to talk them out of something.

"Really, in front of the children?" Evy too seemed almost less amused than the Doctor, more bored.

The man looked down at LJ and seemed to hesitate at the sight of the boy.

"Uncle," Journey stepped over to him, "That one's a doctor," she nodded at the Doctor, "And we _have_ a patient, don't we, Uncle?" she gave him a pointed look for that.

The man sighed, eyeing the Doctor intently before he nodded, "If you can help us…then we can negotiate your departure," he offered, making the Doctor roll his eyes at that, "This way," he turned and led the way through the hanger, towards a corridor, the Time Lords and LJ walking with them.

"Why does a hospital need a doctor?" the Doctor wondered, he and Evy absently lifting LJ up and swinging him as they went, making him giggle and them smile, the edge of the tension that had fallen around them drifting away at the sound of their son's happy laughter.

"The Aristotle wasn't always hidden," the man stated, "The Daleks got here before us."

Journey glanced back, noting how the two were walking closer to each other, standing nearer than they had been, the way their eyes wandered to all the men standing guard at various posts, their eyes flickering to the weapons in hand, "You don't like soldiers much, do you?"

"You don't need to be liked," the Doctor countered, "You've got all the guns."

"You think we like having our son around that?" Evy gave her a look, "He's going to get enough of that when he's older and meets his best friend," she added, ignoring the confused look now on Journey's face, "We'd rather have him enjoy a gun-free childhood while he can."

"Speaking of…I don't think Jack should babysit him anymore," the Doctor looked at Evy as they walked down the hall, "Torchwood," he gave a grimace at the name, "Too many guns."

"We can ask Jack to hold off on them," Evy negotiated, "Or do YOU want to tell our son he can't see his godfather as often as he does?"

The Doctor looked down at his boy who was giving him, what he would guess was, his best version of a glare…which really just came out looking like an adorable irritation, but it did make him sigh, "Fine," he huffed, "But I want a swear-jar as well."

Evy had to laugh at that, the Doctor's new body had the appearance of a man that, when pushed, would probably end up swearing like a sailor in a bar.

Their conversation trailed off as they entered a laboratory though, well, didn't exactly 'trail off' more than the Doctor catching sight of the goodies within, "Wow," he gaped, pointing to a large capsule along the side of the room, its walls clear, allowing them to see white benches lining the inside of it, "A moleculon nanoscaler."

"Mol-cunon non-scalter!" LJ tried to mimic his father and his excitement, letting go of his parents' hands to run over to the capsule, pressing his face to it, peering in as though he expected something awesome to be in there.

The Doctor chuckled and moved over to scoop the boy into his arms, giving him a better look, Evy laughing at the faint face-smudge her son had left on the glass.

"You know what it does, then?" Journey glanced at them.

"A device that scales molecules down to a nano size," Evy said easily, "It's sort of in the name, isn't it?"

"What's the medical application, though?" the Doctor glanced over at the woman, "Do you use it to shrink the surgeons so they can climb inside the patients?"

"Exactly," Journey's uncle nodded.

"Fantastic idea for a movie. Terrible idea for a proctologist. Are you going to miniaturize us?"

"Yes!" LJ started to clap, "Yes! Yes! Small! Daddy make us small! Like Tardy does!"

The Doctor shook his head fondly at his son, patting his back, recalling a few times the TARDIS had gotten them to quite a small size.

"You're a doctor, aren't you?" Journey's uncle continued, before he grew serious, leading them over to a thick pair of security doors, "And this is your patient," he quickly opened the doors and stepped to the side.

The Doctor quickly turned, handing LJ to Evy as he saw what was inside the room, moving before her to protect her from the Dalek chained up within, "How dare you…" the Doctor glared at Journey's uncle, "We are not…no way at all…no!" he snapped, "We are NOT going in that…that monster!"

"Doctor?" the Dalek began to perk up, hearing voices, "Doctor!"

"How do you know who I am?" the Doctor frowned, not sure if what Oswin had done on the Alaska had held or if this was some sort of Dalek from after Christmas when the information had been extracted once more. Either way, he was not going to let his family anywhere near it!

"He doesn't," Journey's uncle reassured them, "We promised him medical assistance."

"Are you my doctor?"

"Doctor," Evy put a hand on the Doctor's back, stepping to his side, LJ placed on the ground though she held his hand firmly, the boy standing behind her legs and looking past her at the Dalek with caution.

"We found it floating in space," Journey added.

"We thought it was deactivated, so we tried to disassemble it," her uncle sighed.

"And then you realized there was something actually living in it instead of just a robot," Evy guessed as they nodded.

"Help me," the Dalek began to beg them.

"Why would I do that?" the Doctor's eyes narrowed at the creature, his mind drifting back to Christmas, to the very last attack, to his Link and his son being in the middle of it, to the threats they'd made, to the absolute helplessness he'd felt to be able to stop them, "Why would any living creature help you?"

"Daleks will die," the Dalek stated.

"Die all you like. Not my problem."

"Daleks must be destroyed."

"What?" Evy stepped closer, equal to the Doctor's side now, " _Daleks_ must be destroyed?"

"All Daleks must die!" the one before them cried, "I will destroy the Daleks. Destroy the Daleks. Destroy the Daleks!"

The Doctor and Evy could only stare at it a moment, unable to even comprehend the possibility that this could be a…a _good_ Dalek.

~8~

Clara Oswald stood in the doorway of the Maths room of Coal Hill school, her arms crossed, leaning on the doorframe, watching as the new Maths teacher, a young black man named Danny Pink, banged his head against his desk repeatedly. He was…amusing, funny. And new. She had been the last new teacher and she could still remember how it felt to be in a new job, trying to earn the respect and attention of the kids, trying to get used to the rest of the staff and the rooms and everything. She'd felt bad for him, he seemed to be a quiet sort, kept to himself, and she wanted to try and make his transition to Coal Hill a bit better, something she wished someone had done for her. There was a party later that day, for a retiring teacher, and she was determined to get Danny to go, it would be good for him to get to know the rest of the staff, make him feel included. She'd tried to ask him if he'd go to it earlier, but he'd gotten rather flustered for some reason and quiet before hurrying off…and now he was banging his head against the desk.

She cleared her throat, making him twist in his chair and stare at her, "Is the wooden sound you or the desk?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"How long have you been there?" Danny asked.

"Longer than you would like."

"Ok," he turned to put his head back down on the desk, seeming to think if he didn't look at her or move he'd be invisible to her.

"Are you going to be that tense when you come out for a drink later?"

Danny's head shot up at that, "I absolutely promise I won't."

Clara smiled, "Good," she nodded, "I'm meeting my…" she smiled more, "My boyfriend for drinks on Friday, if you're not coming to the retirement party, you should come join us."

"What?" Danny blinked.

"Yeah," she grinned, "It'll just be the two of us there if you want to join us, instead of the entire staff, if you're not comfortable with groups and all."

"Oh…um…" he cleared his throat, not seeming sure what to say, though Clara could see a hint of a blush on his cheeks for some reason, "Yes?"

"Brilliant," she nodded, giving him one more smile before she turned and headed down the hall, pulling her mobile out to call the Captain and let him knew about Danny joining them.

He was always telling her to bring her friends whenever she wanted, not wanting to monopolize all of her time on Earth when he'd actually come to it to visit her instead of pop in to steal her away for an adventure. She…hadn't quite brought any friends along with her, just wanting to spend more time with him. That was it, that was all, time with her Link. It had nothing to do at all with the fact that he was bloody gorgeous and she would not want to share him at all with her female friends, nor the fact that some of her friends who were blokes weren't really friends per say. They would start as friends…and then they'd try to ask her on a date, and she'd have to tell them she had a boyfriend (not that that word could come close to what the Captain was to her), and then it would just be awkward and the idea of inviting them to hang out with her and her boyfriend after that was just too much.

Still, it didn't bother her so much, she got to spend more time with her Link as a result. But he'd be happy to meet Danny, she could tell, she'd finally be bringing a friend with her. She knew that the Captain, even though he never said it, was a little worried that she hadn't introduced him to any of her friends. He said nothing about it though, not about whether he wondered if she HAD friends or if she was somehow ashamed of introducing him. He as sweet like that, but now she finally had a friend to show him, and the Captain was just so fun to be around, so easy to talk to, it would hopefully help Danny feel more comfortable, come out of his shell a bit so she could get to know her new co-worker outside of the whispers that the other staff sent around about him, that he was a lady-killer, a soldier, and a few other things.

She had only just snuck into the supply cupboard to call the Captain when she almost walked into the corner of the TARDIS as she turned around. She looked at the box a moment before sighing, slipping her mobile back into her pocket and opening the doors to step in, "You could warn me," she called to the two Time Lords at the controls.

"Clara!" LJ squealed, the dinosaur toy in his hand quickly forgotten as he hurried (as quickly as a toddler could) down the steps of the console and over to her, hugging her legs, making her laugh as she knelt down to hug him properly, standing with him in her arms.

"How's my favorite little man?" she asked the boy, tapping his nose.

"Good!" LJ cheered with a wide grin, "Missed you!"

"Ooh I missed you too! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever," she hugged the boy closer, moving up to join his parents at the controls.

"How long?" the Doctor glanced at her.

"Three weeks," Evy sighed, "You set the date wrong, Doctor," she moved to the monitor to show him.

"Sorry," he offered to Clara, "We were aiming for three days…"

"Well, _I_ was aiming for three says," Evy remarked.

"It's not my fault, I got distracted!"

"By what?" Clara asked, before quickly adding, "And will I have to cover LJ's ears to hear the answer?"

The Doctor just rolled his eyes at that and pulled a lever, "We can show you the answer, actually," he moved around the controls to pilot them back to the ship.

"So," Evy moved over to Clara as the girl set a squirming LJ down, the boy rushing over to help his father, "What's got you all smiles, Clara dear?"

"Clara dear?" Clara snorted at that, shaking her head, "I wasn't smiling."

"You were," Evy countered, leaning against the console, reaching out a hand behind her to set a control as the Doctor walked around them, about to hit the same button when she beat him to it, "At nothing, I'd say. I know what that means."

"And what's that?"

"A certain Captain was on your mind, wasn't he?"

Clara looked away, "No," she cleared her throat and it might have, in some universe, been believable had she not started blushing at having been caught thinking about a boy by said boy's mother.

Evy laughed, "I used to get that look all the time on Gallifrey," she told Clara, "My brother used to walk in on me just grinning away and ask me what it was."

"The Doctor?" Clara guessed.

"Always," Evy nodded, "And you know what, I still smile like that here and there. That smile," she pointed at Clara, "Is the smile of being apart and wishing you weren't," she eyed Clara a moment, "I hope you won't be cross if I say that I hope a day comes where that smile never appears again?"

Clara shook her head, understanding that Evy meant she hoped a day would come where she and the Captain would never be parted, "I hope so too," she glanced at the Doctor, "So!" she clapped, "Where are we going?"

"We are going…into darkness," the Doctor answered.

"Into darkness?"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "But er…first…there's a question, Clara, a very important question that I need you to answer."

"Why me?" Clara frowned, glancing at Evy before returning to the Doctor, "Don't you usually ask Evy the important questions?"

"She's biased," the Doctor waved it off, "Thinks yours truly is the greatest thing since sliced bread, she does."

Evy rolled her eyes, moving around the console to peck his cheek, "That is quite possibly the corniest thing I've heard you say in all your lives," she sighed, leaning in to kiss his lips, "And I can't even say you're wrong."

The Doctor smiled at that, but then pointed at Clara, "And that is why she's biased, and, of course, my son would be too…"

"And you don't think I would be?" Clara raised an eyebrow at that, "Even though I'm…" she gave a small nod at LJ, her hand twisting her mother's ring on her finger, the one that contained the perception filter that was keeping LJ from realizing she was a Time Lady.

"No I don't," the Doctor informed her, "I think you'd be twice as honest because of it," he added, "And that's exactly what I need," he moved over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders a moment before grimacing at the move and removing his arm, "I need the truth."

"Ok," Clara shrugged, "Right, what is it?"

"It's very important that you answer my next question as honestly and coldly and as considered as you can be, without kindness or restraint, ok?" Clara nodded, growing serious, "Clara, be my pal and tell me, am I a good man?"

Clara opened her mouth to answer that, of course he was, he was the Doctor, "I think you were a good man, many times over," she spoke carefully, "And I think you can be one in this body. But have to say that I don't know. I don't know the sort of man THIS you is. It'll take time to get to know it and…really, you SHOULD be asking Evy that, she's your Link, she'll know what's in your hearts better than anyone. She's the only one that can know," she watched the Doctor nod slowly at that and couldn't help but ask, "What brought this on?"

"We…ran into a Dalek," Evy told her.

"A Dalek!?" Clara's eyes widened.

"Good!" LJ called, back by his little toys, playing with a dinosaur and a knight figurine, "Good Dalek!"

"A good Dalek?" she looked at the adults for that, she'd never heard of that, in all the memories she had, she'd never heard of one.

"There's no such thing," the Doctor agreed, seeing her confusion.

"Then what's he talking about?"

"We saw a distress call," Evy moved over to them, "Rescued a girl from a medical base, they had a patient…a Dalek."

"A Dalek that wants to destroy other Daleks," the Doctor added.

Clara opened her mouth, about to ask 'isn't that a good thing?' when she realized that was what LJ had meant by 'good Dalek,' "Oh," she glanced at the Doctor, "And you want to examine it?"

"No," the Doctor scoffed, "I'd rather stay as far away from it as possible."

"But the humans said it was damaged during a battle," Evy added, "That it was in pain and they think if we can help repair it, then it'll be a good spy or an ally or something that can help them face the other Daleks down."

"Then…shouldn't we repair it?" Clara wondered.

"Do you think we should?" the Doctor eyed her.

"Yes," Clara nodded, firm now, "And if we can find out what made it turn on the others then maybe we can do the same to other Daleks and get them to stop themselves from spreading their hate and evil through the Universe!"

Evy blinked at how Clara had gone from light-hearted to angry within the span of seconds, but reminded herself that Clara had vivid memories of what the Daleks had done to her, how they had turned her into a Dalek, HOW they had done it, by subtracting all the love in her and filling her with hate. If anyone in the Universe had cause to want the Daleks destroyed more than the two of them, it would be Clara.

"Alright then," the Doctor nodded, "Decision made."

"One other stop first though," Evy commented, giving the Doctor a firm look, the man holding her gaze a moment before sighing and nodding. She smiled and moved over to her son, "LJ," she put her hand on his back, making him look at her, "How would you like to visit uncle Jack?!"

"YES!" the boy squealed so loudly they were sure the TARDIS had gone deaf.

~8~

The Time Lords quickly made their way into the lab once more, Clara with them. They had brought LJ to Jack for looking after…after making the man both swear that he would not show or use his gun around LJ and mentioning that if their son came back knowing any more colorful words than he'd already picked up from his dear godfather they would be forced to implement a swear jar for him. Jack had just laughed and given them a salute but took LJ easily, always willing and eager to spend time with his godson. Clara had been reluctant to leave the boy, but she understood why. They couldn't just leave him alone in the TARDIS but they also would NOT be bringing the boy INSIDE a Dalek, not at all, never.

"That was quick," Journey remarked when she saw them enter once more.

"This is gun girl," the Doctor gestured at Journey by way of introduction for Clara, "She's got a gun, and she's a girl."

"Journey," Evy added when Clara gave her a look for a clearer answer.

"And this is a sort of boss one," the Doctor pointed at Journey's uncle.

"I'm…not actually sure what his name is," Evy admitted, "Sorry."

"Morgan," the man stated, a frown on his face.

"I think he's probably her uncle," the Doctor explained, "But I may have made that up to pass the time while they were talking."

"No, he IS her uncle," Evy replied, "Or she at least calls him that," she eyed the man, he was white where Journey was black, but that didn't necessarily mean anything, not among humans. Looking at LJ, he had Martha and Donna as Aunties, and one was black and the other white, it really didn't matter the color of skin so long as the love was there.

"This is Clara," the Doctor gestured at Clara, "Not our assistant. She's…er, some other word…"

"I'm his carer," Clara offered as a joke.

"Yeah, my carer. She cares so I don't have to."

"Oi," Evy nudged her, "Stealing my job now?"

"No," Clara laughed, "I'd rather just stick with companion, actu…" she trailed off rather suddenly when the heavy security doors they'd been walking towards opened, revealing the Dalek within.

"Doctor," it greeted.

"Hello again," the Doctor replied grimly.

"Will you help me?"

The Doctor shook his head at that, "A Dalek so damaged, it's turned good. Morality as malfunction. How do I resist?"

"Daleks must die!" it cried, "Daleks must die."

Evy reached out and hit a button on the wall, quickly shutting the doors again cutting off the Dalek's cries, seeing how Clara was growing tenser and tenser now that she was confronted with one. She hadn't had much time, in Christmas, to do so, she'd been running around while multitudes had attacked them, hadn't had time to really react when Tasha had been taken either, but now…now it was one on one and it was hard for her to look at a Dalek and not be hit with the memories of becoming one.

"So," Clara swallowed hard, taking a breath, "What do we do with a moral Dalek, then?" she tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible and not let her subconscious answer of 'exterminate it' seep into her voice.

"We get into its head," the Doctor stated.

"How do you get into a Dalek's head?"

"In a very literal way," Evy remarked, gesturing over to the nanoscaler, "You know those little stories about people being shrunk down an exploring the human body?"

"Yeah," Clara nodded, before she blinked, realizing what Evy was getting at, "Oh."

Journey stepped over to them, holding out three bracelet devices for them, the Time Lords quickly slipping them on as Journey gave them to the Doctor and Evy, holding one for her and Clara back, "These are nanocontrollers. Once we're miniaturized, they take over the molecular compression. When the mission's over, hit the button," the Doctor and Evy nodded, when Morgan called them over for more of a briefing, leaving her with Clara, "Are you sure you understand?" she asked Clara quietly, slipping the bracelet onto the girl's wrist, assuming she was human as well. If she'd been alien, like the other two, she would have been IN the ship with them, wouldn't she, nor would she be wearing her particular outfit right?

"Why wouldn't I?" Clara gave her an odd look.

"Because this is a dangerous mission and you look like a school teacher."

"I _am_ a school teacher," Clara laughed, "Clara Oswald," she reached out a hand to shake Journey's.

"Journey Blue," she offered her full name.

"Blue?" Clara raised an eyebrow at that.

"Blue, yes. Problem?"

"No. Er, I just met a soldier called Pink," she laughed at that.

Pink. It actually made her think of red, pink being a shade of it, it made her think of when she would wear red, the Captain loved it when she wore red. His TARDIS was red too, a red phone booth in tribute to his father's. And his blush, whenever he'd get flustered, it was a wonderful shade of red that made her purposefully tease him just to see it…

"Lucky fella," Journey remarked.

"Sorry what?" Clara looked up, pulled from her thoughts of the Captain, "Lucky?"

"From the way you smile," Journey shrugged.

Clara had to smile at that, even if she knew Journey thought she was thinking of Danny, she knew she was thinking only of her Link, he always brought a smile to her face, "Who makes you smile or is nobody up to the job?"

"My brother," Journey's voice suddenly grew hard, "But he burned to death a couple of hours ago, so he's really letting me down today. Excuse me."

Clara opened her mouth to apologize, but Journey had already walked away to two other soldiers dressed in similar garb, speaking to them instantly.

"What are those ones for?" the Doctor called as he and Evy stepped over to her side, noticing the extra soldiers as well, "We don't need armed babysitters."

"We're not babysitters!" one of the female soldiers huffed, offended.

"We're here to shoot you dead if you turn out to be a Dalek spy," the male officer beside her added.

"Well, that's a relief," the Doctor muttered, "I hate babysitters."

"Standing right next to you, Doctor," Evy reminded him, a small smirk on her face as his eyes widened, recalling how Evy had equated being with him, jokingly (lovingly), as being a 24/7 babysitter, "What do you call me?"

"My Link," he told her, "My Link, who I love more than anything. NOT my babysitter," he paused to consider it, "Honestly, I think this me won't be needing one really…"

Evy had to nod at that, this one DID seem a bit more mature than his past ones, a bit less like he was going to go running into trouble…if you didn't count him jumping into the Thames in Victorian London. Which she didn't, he'd only just finished his regeneration and was recovering, he hadn't been very sound of mind at the time.

"Pity," she sighed, "I suppose I've lost one of my titles then."

"We'll just have to think of a new one," he reassured her, winding an arm around her waist, "Or…"

"Ok," Journey cut in, "Listen up," she gave the Doctor a pointed look to shut up and stop talking, that it was serious time now, "Now, remember, do not hold your breath when the nanoscaler engages," she started to move towards the capsule, opening the doors to let the trio of Time Lord and her two soldiers in, "You'll feel like you want to, but you must keep breathing normally during the miniaturization process."

"Why?" Clara asked as she sat towards the back, the Doctor near the door, with Evy between them.

"Ever microwaved a lasagna without pricking the film on top?" the Doctor gave her a look.

Clara nodded, "It explodes."

"Exactly," Evy agreed.

"Oh," Clara nodded, "Right, I'll try not to be lasagna then."

They looked up as Morgan's voice came over the comms, "Nanoscaler engaging in 5…4…3…2…nanoscaler engaging now."

"Nanoscaling in progress," a computerized voice announced as a crossbeam of light passed over the capsule. Clara reached out and grabbed Evy's hand as a sort of compressing feeling struck her, like she was folding in on herself but forced herself to breathe as Journey had instructed, "Nanoscaling complete."

They looked up, through the clear walls of the capsule to see giant versions of the humans above them.

"Nanoscaling successful," Morgan reported, "Everyone ok in there?"

"We made it," Journey called back, all of them bracing as the capsule shook, being picked up by one of the scientists with a pair of tweezers, "Nobody popped."

"Oh…I can't believe this," Clara breathed, watching as they were moved towards the bright blue light of the Dalek's eyestalk, gripping Evy's hand tighter.

"No, neither can we," the Doctor murmured, holding Evy's other hand, none of the Time Lords were comfortable with this, with being in their enemy the way they were about to be. They looked through the glass as the blue light seemed to shimmer around them, the capsule being injected right into the eye of the Dalek's casing.

Once the shaking stopped and the capsule stilled, the Doctor stood, opening the door beside him to see the blue fluid-like wall of the eyestalk before him. He reached out cautiously, making the light wobble before he started to push his arm through it, distorting the image of it like a straw or spoon in a glass of clear water, before his body followed through.

"We'll be following you all the way, Rescue One," Evy could hear Morgan say from the comm. before she followed the Doctor through, keeping hold of Clara's hand to help guide her along, "Good luck all of you."

"That was weird," Clara shivered as they made it past the blue field and into the eyestalk of the Dalek.

"You've seen nothing yet," the Doctor murmured.

"I actually think I HAVE, Doctor," Clara gave him a pointed, slightly hurt glare for his words. Not hurt that he'd said it, but a lingering hurt that she DID know exactly what a Dalek's casing was like from the inside and it was the most disturbing thing in her long memory.

"Right," the Doctor winced, "Sorry."

Clara gave a nod at that, squeezing Evy's hand that she was still holding before letting go as they walked down the tunnel-like path, "Visual impulses," she murmured, nodding at the lights that were racing along the wall from the eye of the stalk towards the end of the tunnel, "Travelling towards the brain."

"Entering the cranial ledge now," Journey reported back to her uncle as they reached the end of the tunnel, stepping up to a ledge of sorts, "Here."

Clara was silent, grim, looking down the ledge at a purplish blob below, tentacles sticking out of it, latching onto the casing around it, cables running along the walls and into it. Evy reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, knowing that Clara was thinking about those same cables being stuck into her skull, attached to her skin, without even needing to read her mind.

"Behold, the belly of the beast," the Doctor sighed, looking down at the Dalek below.

"It's huge," the male soldier breathed.

"No, Ross," his female partner shook her head, "We're tiny."

Ross let out a whistle, "Does it know we're here, do you think?"

"A Dalek knows everything that happens within its casing," Evy nodded, "It knows we're here."

"It's what invited us in," Journey added, nodding to the side and starting to lead them along the ledge, towards a sort of long archway that had sections vertical lights along its walls, a pocket or two of them dark.

"Now, this is the…" the Doctor began.

"Cortex vault," Clara answered, "A supplementary electronic brain. Memory banks," she swallowed hard, "What keeps the Dalek _pure_."

The Doctor fell silent at that, a brief flash of wanting to remark if SHE was in charge now, but a look from Evy silenced him, this was…Clara. This was a fate she had suffered, this was knowledge she never wanted to know, worse yet, it was knowledge she was forced to experience and live through. If she wanted to help them by offering what she knew, no matter how much it hurt her to do, he would let her.

"How are Daleks pure?" the woman soldier turned to them.

The Doctor glanced at Clara for that, but she was silent, just staring at the memory banks, "Dalek mutants are born hating. This is what stokes the fire," he gestured at the banks of light, "Extinguishes even the tiniest glimmer of kindness or compassion. Imagine the worst possible thing in the universe, then don't bother, because you're looking at it right now. This is evil refined as engineering."

"Doctor?" the Dalek's voice echoed around them, making Clara jump and Evy move over to put an arm around the girl.

"Oh, hello, Rusty," the Doctor called out, leading them onward from the memory bank, just to its edge where they could speak to the Dalek more clearly, "You don't mind if I call you Rusty? We're going to need to come down there with you. Medical examination, and all that."

"What, with those tentacles and things?" the woman soldier glanced over the ledge and down at the Dalek blow.

"How close do we have to get?" Journey frowned, clearly hoping it would be 'not very.'

"Well, you know, we're never going to insert a thermometer from up here," the Doctor remarked.

Journey sighed but nodded at Ross who pulled a harpoon from his back, loaded it and shot it right at one of the tentacles along the wall across from them.

"No!" Evy shouted, "No, no! What do you think you are doing!?" her voice grew louder, "Don't!" she added when another harpoon ended up embedded just beside the second, "You need to STOP!"

"We need a way down," Journey huffed, turning to Evy, "The only way…"

"This isn't just some robot!" Evy countered, stepping away from Clara and right up to Journey, "This is a _Dalek_! It is ALIVE and it will fight anyone that threatens it. And HE just shot it! Have you any idea what's going to happen now?!"

"Antibodies," Clara answered when the humans fell silent, "The antibodies are going to come."

"The what?" the woman soldier frowned, "Antibodies?"

Clara nodded, "The body's natural defense system."

As though hearing her words, a handful of small round objects came flying around the corner of the memory banks, little spheres that were floated over to them, making the Doctor jump back and move closer to Evy and Clara, "Nobody move!" he shouted.

But Ross had already lifted his harpoon as though to attack them, the antibodies quickly surrounding him as a result.

"If any of you try to help him," Clara warned, "If you try to stop them and attack them, they'll attack you back. They'll see you as an infection and defend the Dalek."

"Ross, you're going to need to stay very still," Evy called to him as the spheres began to open, revealing what looked like a large, blue, glowing eye staring at Ross.

"But the Dalek wants us in here," the woman soldier shook her head, "Why is it attacking?!"

"I just told you!" Clara almost snapped, knowing what it meant for the antibodies to be called, knowing what it would mean for Ross, what little help any of them could actually be to stop them, "You attacked it, so it's attacking you back. It can't be helped."

"Your antibodies react without any conscious thought from you don't they?" Evy glanced at the humans.

"Ross, stay calm," Journey spoke calmly to her soldier, "We're going to get you out of this."

Clara scoffed at that but said nothing, knowing there was nothing that could be done once the antibodies locked onto you or saw you as a threat.

"Ross," the Doctor called, tossing him a small pill, "Swallow that."

"What is it?" Ross managed to catch it.

"Trust me," was all the Doctor offered.

Ross quickly swallowed the small pill and glanced at him, "Now what?"

But an answer wasn't needed at all as, a moment later, the antibodies fired on him, disintegrating him instantly. Clara turned away at that, not wanting to look, not wanting to hear, Evy at her side in the same moment, hugging her close.

"Ross!" Journey cried out.

"What's it doing?" the woman soldier gaped, watching as the antibodies sucked up the dust of the disintegration, the blue light of their 'eyes' turning red.

"The hoovering," the Doctor answered, grabbing his sonic from his pocket and flicking it at the antibodies as they began to fly away, "Gotcha!"

Clara took a deep breath and turned to the Doctor, "What did you give him?"

"Oh, just a spare powercell, but I can track the radiation signature," the Doctor remarked, "I need to know where they dump the bodies."

Clara flinched at that.

"I thought you were saving him!" Journey snapped at him, angry.

"There wasn't a way," Evy told the woman, "The antibodies can't be stopped, not when they have a target. And if you think that is bad…WE are still here, which means more will be coming."

"I was saving us," the Doctor nodded, pointing at her before gesturing them to come with him, "Follow me and run!"

Evy took Clara's hand in comfort and support as the two of them took off after the Doctor, leaving the humans little option but to follow them down the halls, able to hear the hum of more antibodies behind them, racing after them till they came to a hole cut into the middle of the ledge with a hatch on it, the sonic beeping rapidly as the Doctor pointed at it.

"They've dumped him in here," he muttered, Evy stepping closer and pulling her own sonic out to help him get the hatch of it unlocked, "Organic refuse disposal. We need to get in there."

"Why?!" Journey shouted as she and her remaining soldier turned and started to fire at the antibodies as they reached them.

"Because the antibodies won't give up," Clara told them, starting to feel, she was sure, the same irritation that the Doctor often had with humans when they were slow or not listening or not paying attention, "Evy just said that, they won't stop until we're dead. Meaning until we're inside the place they put the dead!"

"I'd rather go in alive than dead," the Doctor agreed, managing to get the hatch up.

"You don't know where it goes," Journey called.

"Organic refuse disposal," Evy repeated, "It's in the name!" before she turned and gestured Clara to jump down it, "Go."

"In!" the Doctor moved to push Evy down as well, "In!" turning to the other two women and urging them to hurry over, getting Journey to jump as well, "Come on!"

"I can hold them off!" the woman shouted back.

"No, you can't," the Doctor flicked his sonic at the antibodies, "I can just long enough for you to get down, now GO!" the woman turned and ran towards him, jumping down into the hole, the Doctor leaping after her, falling into a sort of pipe, going down it like a slide, right into a pool of thick, reeking liquid below.

"Urgh," Clara scrunched her face, trying to get as far out of the pool as possible, "We need to get out of this. Doctor, we need to get out of this NOW!"

Evy nodded, pulling out her sonic and flicking it, looking for a way out before starting in that direction, grabbing Clara's hand as she went, the others turning to follow.

"What is this stuff?" the woman soldier grimaced at the terrible stench of it all.

"People," the Doctor told her grimly, "The Daleks need protein. Occasionally, they harvest from their victims. This is a feeding tube."

"Is Ross here?" Journey turned, starting to move her arms through the liquid as though she might find an actual body floating in it.

"Yeah," the Doctor started after his Link and Clara, "Top layer, if you want to say a few words."

But Journey reached out and grabbed him, shoving him against a wall, "A man has just died!" she hissed, "You will _not_ talk like that."

"More people than just your friend have died," Evy called to the woman, helping Clara get onto a small step, a little ledge that came above the water, "All this liquid is the dead."

"And do you know why that's good?" the Doctor shoved Journey's hands off him.

"There is nothing good about that," Journey snapped.

"If everything's dead," Clara spoke quietly, her voice nearly a whisper as she closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself, trying to keep her memories of her life as a Dalek from consuming her, "Then the antibodies can't tell we're down here. They won't register that we're still alive. They won't be searching for us when we find a way out."

"Nobody guards the dead," the Doctor agreed, "Mortuaries and larders, always the easiest to break out of."

"Report to your uncle that we've made it," Evy added, managing to get a vent cover off the wall with her sonic, "Clara you first," Evy pulled herself onto the ledge beside Clara, wanting to get the girl out of there as soon as she could, "Be careful though, the decontamination tubes can burn hot."

"I know," Clara swallowed hard, but started to crawl through regardless.

"Rescue One to Mission Control," Journey reported as they went, "The Dalek has an internal defense mechanism. We've lost Ross," she fell silent a moment, her hand pressed to an earpiece, listening to her uncle, "Yeah, well, who knows? It's a Dalek. We're going to continue the mission."

"Are you alright up there?" the Doctor called as he followed Evy into the vent after Clara, Journey and the other woman behind them, "It's a bit narrow, isn't it?"

"Any remarks about my hips will not be appreciated," Clara shouted back to him, trying to get back into spirits, trying to focus on something, distract herself, even if it was trying to bait the Doctor into a bicker of sorts.

"Your…"

"Don't'," Evy looked over her shoulder at the Doctor, "Compliment her hips and that's just very creepy, insult her hips and she'll undoubtedly make a remark about how much our son and HIS thoughts on her hips. And if we're meant to be sneaking about, your face being as bright as a tomato would probably be equivalent of a target painted on you."

"Thanks," Clara actually managed a laugh at that, "Spoil my fun."

"He's MY son as well, Clara," Evy remarked, "I do NOT want to know what his opinion on your hips are."

Clara looked over her shoulder at that and gave Evy a grateful smile, knowing she was trying to help distract her by bringing up the Captain…and it was working.

Evy gave her a nod in return, a small smile on her face to know she was able to help Clara at the moment, but her smile fell when Clara turned around to keep going. This was…not going to be an easy mission for Clara, not at all.

She could only hope that Clara would be able to handle it.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say Clara having more of a hand in the decisions the Time Lords are making will come back to bite her eventually }:) I mentioned in prior parts of the series that Clara remembers her echo-lives, they're all in pieces and coming back in fragments but she IS remembering more and more of them. Here, to be inside a Dalek when an echo-her HAD been a Dalek, I couldn't see her handling this episode the same way :'( I was torn between having LJ go with them, but with it being a Dalek and everything that happened the last time Daleks were around their son, I couldn't see any of them being willing to let the boy take this trip :(
> 
> But we have a hint of Danny here ;) Poor him though, I think he has a crush on her even now, but to find out she's taken? Ouch. Still, leaves the question of what WILL happen with Danny in the future as well. Will he meet J? Will he maybe try to make his affections for Clara known? Will he just be a little flustered mess because he does like her but is trying not to? So many possibilities :)
> 
> Next chapter...someone's dark side comes out, hugs are wonderful, and plans change :)


	4. Into the Dalek (Part 2)

Evy reached in to the vent and helped Clara out. They'd had to switch positions slightly when they got to the next vent cover so she could get close enough to sonic it open and crawl out, helping the others as well only to frown a moment later when she heard a sort of static, crinkling noise coming off of the woman soldiers, "Is that a Geiger counter?"

The woman reached onto a utility belt and pulled the small counter off, "Standard battle equipment. That's just low level radiation."

"Oh we know," Evy nodded, "We felt it," she gestured between herself and the Doctor.

"You…felt it?" Journey gave them a look.

"We used to play with irradiated building bricks in nursery," Evy shrugged, ignoring the odd looks that the humans were giving them, likely imagining what would happen if a human parent tried to do that.

"The radiation's stronger down here," Clara frowned, "It shouldn't be this high."

"Eves?" the Doctor held up a hand for the counter, using it to sweep over the circuits, walking along them, nodding to himself as he took in the readings, "I've got it. I know what's wrong with Rusty."

"What?" Clara crossed her arms over herself, tensing.

The Doctor just held up the counter, showing Clara and Evy the off-the-charts readings on it before tossing it back to the woman soldier.

Journey's eyes widened at the sight, "Colonel, we have radiation indicators red-lining in here. Could be that the Dalek is badly damaged than we thought."

"Old Rusty here is suffering a trionic radiation leak," the Doctor explained, "It's poisoning the Dalek."

"And us," Clara murmured.

"Which is just as well we're here," Evy moved over to Clara's side, putting a hand on her back and rubbing it in comfort a moment.

Clara smiled at the woman for her efforts. She needed it, more than she was willing to admit, she just…being there, hearing about how the Dalek was slowly killing them, it was reminding her too much of how the Daleks had basically slowly killed her to turn her into one of them. She didn't want to think of that but she knew that her knowledge of the inner workings of the Dalek casing would help them so she had to just…push through it, and be glad that Evy and even the Doctor were being delicate and cautious about this and about her. She was so thankful for Evy being there with her though, times like these, when she had something to be more frightened of than being lost, she could use a motherly figure around.

"Really?" Journey scoffed at Evy's remark however, "Perhaps we should get out while we can. Why should we trust a Dalek? Why would it change?"

"Good question," the Doctor pointed at her, before looking up, shouting to the Dalek, "Rusty? What changed you?"

"I saw beauty," Rusty's voice echoed around them.

"Beauty?" Evy glanced at the Doctor cautiously and then up herself, "You mean…hatred, the Dalek concept of beauty, or actual beauty…"

"In the silence and the cold, I saw worlds burning."

"So Dalek version then," Clara muttered bitterly, it would only ever see destruction and death and hatred as beautiful.

"That's not beauty, that's destruction," Journey agreed.

"I saw more," it continued.

"What?" the Doctor frowned, "What did you see?"

"The birth of a star."

"You had to have seen that in the past though," Evy argued, "Millions of them."

"And have destroyed a million stars," it agreed, "And yet, new stars are born. Resistance is futile."

"Resistance to what?"

"Life returns," Rusty stated, "Life prevails. Resistance is futile."

"So you saw a star being born…" the Doctor repeated slowly as though trying to work out if this was a trick of some sort, "And you learned something. Oh, Dalek, do not be lying to me," he muttered before sighing, turning to the others, "Clara," he turned to her, "Do you know the way to the Trionic Power Cells?"

Clara swallowed but nodded, both grateful and hating that all Dalek cases, inwardly at least, were mostly identical in make and setup, "This way," she turned to lead them off.

"Heading for the Trionic power cells, Colonel," Journey reported as the small group followed Clara down a small hall and through a doorway, leaving them to look up and realize they were right under Rusty's organic mutant portion.

"We're at the heart of the Dalek," the Doctor murmured.

"Geiger counter's off the scale!" the woman soldier gasped, seeing the readings starting to skyrocket, "Looks like it's about to blow!"

"Good," the Doctor nodded.

"How is that good?" Journey shot him an incredulous look.

"The worse it gets the more he loves it," Evy shrugged in answer, "He works better when there's a deadly deadline."

"Deadly deadline?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow at that.

Evy rolled her eyes at that, "Focus," she nodded at the wall of the power cell they'd entered, seeing a crack down it that was radiating energy and light.

"Rusty, can you hear me?"

"Doctor?" Rusty replied.

"Rusty, we've found the damage," he pulled out his sonic, looking at Evy with a nod for her to do the same, "We're sealing up the breach in your power cell," he and Evy turned to the crack, flicking their sonics on to start to seal the hold in the wall as though welding it shut.

"There," Evy called, "That should stem the radiation. No more poisoning."

"That's it?" Clara glanced at them, "Just like that?"

"An anti-climax once in a while is good for my hearts," the Doctor patted the center of his chest, "I get enough stress on them between this one and LJ," he nodded at Evy.

"Excuse you," Evy muttered, shaking her head with a fond smile, "I'd be long dead given all the shocks you give my hearts with your antics," she turned before he could defend himself, shouting up to the Dalek, "Rusty? How are your systems?"

Rusty was silent for a long moment.

"Rusty?" the Doctor frowned.

"The malfunction is corrected," it finally stated.

Journey glanced at the Time Lords to see them exchanging uneasy looks at Rusty's phrase, "What's happened?"

"Not entirely sure…" the Doctor murmured as the lights began to power up around them.

"It's like it's waking up."

"That's because it is," Clara cleared her throat, "Rusty?" she shouted, her voice cracking to have to talk to the Dalek herself, "What's going on?"

Rusty just repeated, "The malfunction is corrected. All systems are functioning. Weapons charged."

"Oh, no, no, no!" the Doctor's eyes widened.

"Exterminate. Exterminate!"

"Rusty don't!" Evy yelled.

"Exterminate. Exterminate!" the small group was nearly thrown into the walls as the Dalek began to move with them inside it, "The Daleks will be victorious The rebels will be exterminated."

"What?!" the woman soldier gasped, hearing the change in Rusty's orientation.

"Colonel?" Journey tried to call into her comms but no one answered, "What's happening out there?!"

All they could hear was Rusty's shouts of 'Exterminate!' as they tried to brace themselves for the movement of the Dalek.

"What happened?" the woman soldier demanded.

"Daleks don't turn good," the Doctor stated, "It was just radiation affecting its brain chemistry, nothing more than that. No miracle."

If looks could kill, Evy was quite sure that Journey's glare at the Doctor would have had him dead and buried on Trenzalore, "Let me get this straight. We had a good Dalek, and we made it bad again? That's all we've done?!"

"The Dalek was never _good_ ," Clara nearly spat, her voice breaking being the only sign that she was more upset than angry, "There is no such thing as a Good Dalek, it was broken and it's orders were broken but we just fixed it."

There was NO such thing as a Good Dalek, there couldn't be. She didn't classify what happened to her as being a Good Dalek, she HAD to think of it as her grasping her humanity once more, that she had been a GOOD human instead. She needed to cling to that notion, that she had been a human in the end, as she'd kept shouting as the Doctor and Evy ran off with LJ. Daleks were evil, all of them, there could never be a fully functioning, sane, pure, good Dalek, it was impossible. And if she clung to that, then the fact that she'd been turned into one was easier to bear, because it meant she had never ever truly been a Dalek in the first place. Brainwashed and stuck into a Dalek casing, but she'd always been human, and that was easier to bear than to think she'd ever let herself be turned into those monsters.

"You two were supposed to help us stop the Daleks!" Journey rounded on the other Time Lords for that, "Not set it on us!"

"I would watch your tone, young lady," Evy gave her a hard look, "YOU asked us in here, into a _Dalek_ , we couldn't expect that the radiation was what turned it good. We had HOPE that something else had, and we were proven wrong. Now, instead of placing blame, how about we try to find a way to STOP it?"

"Exterminate!" Rusty's cries echoed, making Journey look up at that, tense, "Exterminate!"

"Clara?" the Doctor looked over at her, seeing her standing there with her eyes closed, biting her lip and hugging herself, "Clara," he walked over to her, "What is it?"

Clara took a shaking breath and opened her eyes to look at him, filled with tears, "Are we going to die in here?" she asked him quietly, her voice breaking at the thought. She couldn't die in a Dalek casing, not again, she couldn't handle that.

"No," the Doctor said, his voice so firm and determined that Clara could feel a sprig of relief bloom in her, "No we won't."

Evy glanced over at Journey as she and her fellow soldier spoke quietly before moving closer to Clara, "We are not going to die here, Clara, we've faced the Daleks too many times for them to get us like this."

"I'm sorry," Clara swallowed.

"For what?" the Doctor frowned.

"For getting you to come here today," Clara told them, "It was me, I know, you said that the decision was made cos of what I said that we should find out what made it good so we could use it against the others. But there's nothing that turned it good, not really, the Daleks are and always will be evil," she rubbed her head, "We came down here for nothing."

"No," Evy shook her head, "Not nothing," it couldn't be nothing, they could NOT have put their son's Link through this for nothing.

"What then?" Clara looked at the two Time Lords, "It's not like we can cause the same radiation poisoning in every other Dalek and it's not like they'd all have the same reaction to seeing a star born."

The Doctor stared at her a moment, "Clara Oswald you are brilliant!"

"What?" Chara blinked at that completely thrown.

"Beyond brilliant," the Doctor just continued, "And no, we aren't going to die down here. Not now."

"Wh…"

"The rebels will be exterminated!" Rusty shouted above them, making Clara flinch.

"Understood, Uncle," they could hear Journey speak into her comm., "Yeah. Me too…"

"Whatever you're going to do, don't do it," the Doctor spun around to face Journey, "This Dalek must not be destroyed. We can do better!"

"Are you out of your mind?!"

"By human standards, no," Evy remarked, "That would be ME. But by our people's standards…then yes, greatly so."

"Oi!" the Doctor pointed at her but saw her smiling at him in amusement, teasing him. He shook his head at her, it seemed like this him wasn't quite used to her human this time, but he'd get there, though he had to admit he rather liked that she seemed more entertained by him than exasperated like her last self had been. He did NOT miss the smacks and the kisses he got from her here and there were far more worthwhile, "Look at where we are," he gestured around, focusing on the humans once more.

"In a Dalek," Journey deadpanned.

"Exactly! Inside a Dalek, where we've never been!"

"Speak for yourself," Clara grumbled under her breath as Evy put her arm around Clara's shoulder in comfort, Clara absently patting Evy's hand in thanks.

"We cannot waste this chance though," the Doctor continued, giving Clara an apologetic look, "It won't come again."

"What chance?" Journey argued, "I have my orders…"

"Because a soldier always follows orders?" Evy countered.

"Yes," Journey gave her a hard look, "And I am a good soldier."

"A Dalek's a better one," Evy grew serious, "It takes…a great warrior," her gaze drifted to the Doctor, recalling what his name meant among the Gamma Foresters, "To be able to beat that."

"What, and that's him?" Journey scoffed, nodding at the Doctor.

"No," the Doctor agreed, moving over to Evy and Clara, placing his hands on their shoulders, "It's us."

"And our son," Evy added, "Our…older son."

"But he's not here right now."

"Wish he was though," Clara murmured.

"The point is," Evy looked at Journey, "The three of us, we CAN stop this, we can stop the Dalek."

"And we CAN do one better than just stop it," the Doctor grinned.

Journey eyed them intently, a firm frown on her face, but eventually it faded into a defeated look, "So what do we do?"

The Doctor just grinned.

~8~

The Doctor led them up a ladder, towards an upper level near the inner casing of the Dalek, getting them closer to the organic portion of it, allowing them to see a majority of the shell above them.

"The Dalek isn't just some angry blob in a Dalekanium tank," the Doctor told the humans quickly, "If it was, the radiation would have turned it into a raging lunatic."

"It _is_ a raging lunatic, it's a Dalek," Journey gave him a look for that.

"But for a moment, it wasn't."

"The radiation started to affect is brainwaves," Evy explained, "It gave it a moment of expanded consciousness, allowed it the ability to consider things outside the realm of a Dalek's programming."

"And when it did, it was able to see what the other Daleks were enough to want them destroyed. Do you see?"

But the humans just looked blank.

"Daleks prize hatred above everything else," Evy continued, "They see hatred as good. If you were to affect the way its mind worked, then it started to see past that, see what hatred really was. If a Dalek could truly see itself in the grand scope of the Universe, it would hate itself in the right context, and want to end it."

"Rusty's mind has been influenced by the radiation," the Doctor nodded, pointing at her, "It's still got that affecting it, it's just that without the constant influx its mind started to recover. All we have to do is try to trigger what the radiation allowed it to start to see. What it saw, what it felt, it's still in there, and its mind may be just damaged enough from the radiation to let it snap back to that line of thought."

"And how are we supposed to snap it back?" Journey shook her head.

"From there," the Doctor pointed up at the ledge they'd first walked past.

"The cortex vault?"

"The evil engineering?" the woman soldier frowned at that, not sure how getting up there would help make the Dalek NOT evil anymore.

"Exactly," Evy nodded, "That is where the affected memories are stored, where the trigger is. It'll be suppressed now that the radiation isn't affecting the systems, but it's still there."

"So…we're going to try and show the Dalek the star being born again?" Clara followed along.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at her, focusing on Journey a moment later, "You need to get up there, find that moment and reawaken it."

"How?" Journey scoffed at the near impossibility of it all.

"Haven't the foggiest. Do a clever thing."

"Which means I'll go with you," Evy told her, "I'm sure we can work something else once we get there…"

"Evy," the Doctor shook his head, not wanting to be parted from her within the Dalek.

"Do you want this to work?" Evy countered, not even needing him to finish speaking to know what he was thinking, "Then we need to spread out as many resources as we can. I'll go to the memory banks and you can confront the Dalek."

"What, confront the Dalek?" Clara looked at the Doctor, wide eyed.

"Once the memory's been reinserted, the Dalek will be suggestible to new ideas," the Doctor explained to her, "It will be open again. And I will show it something that will change its mind forever."

"No," Journey shook her head, "This is crazy. There is no way that we can get back up there in time!" she gestured to the ledge high above them where the memory bank was located in a bid to give them even one thing that stood in their way of the ridiculous plan working.

"Yes, there is," the woman soldier countered, slowly pulling her own harpoon from her back and holding it up for Journey to see her intentions.

"No, Gretchen," Journey stepped over to her, "It'll bring the antibodies back down on us!"

The woman, Gretchen, ignored her however, turning to look at the Time Lords, "Tell me the truth. Is worth it?" she looked them in the eye, "I've come this far. Probably going to die anyway. Wouldn't mind something to do for the rest of my life. Is it worth it? This plan. Is trying it even worth it?"

The Doctor nodded, "It will save what's left of your crew," he promised, all of them knowing that the Dalek had likely turned on the Aristotle and was slaughtering them even now.

Gretchen nodded, "Gretchen Alison Carlisle. Do something good and name it after me?"

Evy nodded, crossing her hearts.

Gretchen took a deep breath and readied her harpoon when Journey leapt forward and tried to grab her arm, "No, Gretchen!"

But Gretchen just pulled away, yanking her arm out of Journey's hold and firing two harpoons up towards the memory bank, "Go!" she shouted as a familiar whirr sounded, the antibodies starting to come after them.

"They're coming," Clara gasped, "The antibodies!'

Journey quickly moved to the wires attached to the harpoons and locked a pulley to both of them, "Grab hold of the rope," she called to Evy, grabbing the woman's wrist and yanking her towards one of the pulleys to hold, "Don't look down."

"I'm not afraid of heights," Evy reassured her, turning to look at Clara, "Clara?"

Clara swallowed hard, but shook her head, "No," she whispered, "No I…" she glanced at the Doctor, "I'm going with the Doctor."

"What?" the Doctor turned to her, startled, he could tell how much being inside the Dalek was affecting her, could guess which bad memories it stirred, "Clara…"

"I'm going," Clara said, determination setting in despite the waver in her voice, "I…I need to face this. I need to face it."

The Time Lords looked at each other a moment before nodding, understanding that this was something Clara really did have to do and do for herself. She needed to be able to look a Dalek in the literal eye, to see and reassure herself that she had NOT been that creature, she was human, in the end, she had been human and not a Dalek. Evy reached out to the Doctor, tugging him closer by the hand that grabbed hers to kiss him quickly as Journey set off her pulley, flying up the wire towards the ledge, leaving Evy to follow once she'd said her 'goodbye' to the Doctor.

Gretchen looked over at the Doctor and Clara, powering up her weapon as the antibodies came into sight, "Good luck," she told them.

The duo gave her a solemn nod in return before hurrying away, trying their best to ignore the sounds of Gretchen firing her weapon and the scream she gave as the antibodies attacked.

~8~

The Doctor reached out and helped Clara onto what appeared to be a catwalk that spanned right across from the Dalek's eye, the two of them cautiously moving insight of it.

"Are you sure about this?" the Doctor glanced at Clara, feeling the girl clutching his hand and not letting go from where he'd helped her up.

Clara swallowed hard, remained silent, but gave a short nod, still clinging to his hand.

He held her gaze one moment longer before he focused on the Dalek as they reached its eyeline, "Well, Rusty, here we are. Eye to eye to eye."

"You cannot save the humans!" the Dalek decreed, "They will be exterminated. I shall join the Dalek units in the final attack!"

~8~

Journey panted as she pulled herself up and over the ledge beside the memory banks, Evy hurrying to pull herself over as well, "So what do we do?" she looked at the woman.

Evy quickly led the way over to the panels of lights, looking them over quickly, "Some of these panels are out…"

"Yeah, we've got a damaged Dalek," Journey deadpanned, "You want to complain to someone?"

"You want to mind your tone?" Evy shot back at her, giving Journey a chastising look, "It's not damaged," she corrected, "If it were, the lights would be flickering or broken or more panels would be off."

"So?"

"So, when the radiation was sealed away, the memory panels that it didn't need were able to be shut off again, suppressed. We need to get the lights back on. One of them has to contain the memory of the star."

"Seriously?" Journey scoffed.

"Deadly," Evy nodded, moving over to one of the vent covers in the wall, crouching down with her sonic and flashing it along the edges to break it off, "Ok, you get in there and…"

"What, ME?" Journey gaped.

"Yes. You."

"Why?"

"You're trained for crawling through small spaces aren't you?" Evy countered, gesturing at her military garb, "And really, would it be the smartest thing to have the person with the GUN standing outside if the antibodies catch up to us? That'll just make them attack more!"

Journey opened her mouth to argue…but really couldn't because that DID make sense. It was the weapons and the threat that made the antibodies attack and they'd be less inclined to do it to a woman just standing there than a person dressed in military uniform with a weapon at hand.

"Fine," she huffed, swinging her gun onto her back and moving over to the panels.

"I'll keep an eye out for the antibodies," Evy called as Journey crouched down and started to crawl into the small space behind the memory panels.

"How do I get them lit when I reach one though?" Journey asked, "I don't think a Dalek's got an on switch."

"Daleks can extrapolate DNA from touch to help convert to power," Evy remarked.

"English, please!"

"Just slap the panel and it'll turn on. Now go!" Evy gave Journey's feet a little nudge with her own as the woman disappeared within.

~8~

"We saved your life, Rusty," the Doctor spoke to the Dalek, "Now Clara and I are going to go one better. We're going to save your soul."

"Daleks don't have souls," Clara reminded him at the same time that the Dalek stated, "Daleks do not have souls."

"Imagine if it did though," the Doctor glanced at Clara and then the Dalek, "What then, Rusty? What would happen then?"

~8~

"I'm in the cortex!" Journey reported to Evy.

"I never would have guessed that, thanks," Evy muttered to herself, "Have you reached the dimmed ones yet?"

"Yeah, just give me…" a moment later there was a flash of light within one of the panels as they were illuminated.

"You've gotten the panel on," Evy told her, "That surge just then was an electrical pathway activating. It'll be linking up the memories and…"

"I really _don't_ care!" Journey cut her off, "Was it the star?"

~8~

"Doctor!" Clara gasped, putting her other hand on his arm and squeezing it so he'd look at her. She just pointed up where they could see a pulse of light travelling from the memory banks above them, down along one of the cables, and towards the Dalek.

He glanced over his shoulder, towards a holographic screen that the Dalek used for visual, connected to the feed from the eyestalk, to see memories were playing out on it, soldiers dying in battle, "Your memories," he warned the Dalek, "We're about to give some back to you."

~8~

"No!" Evy shouted back from where she was leaning over the ledge just outside the databanks, able to see the faint holographic image, "No, war."

"Great," Journey muttered.

"Have you reached the next one yet?"

"No!" Journey huffed, "I thought the other bloke was the impatient one!"

"Oh we're equally impatient, I think," Evy remarked, she glanced over to the side and slowly started to back away when she saw what was flying towards them.

~8~

"See, all those years ago," the Doctor turned to face the Dalek, handing Clara his sonic with a nod towards the cables and tubing that were running along the catwalk, "When I began, I was just running. I called myself the Doctor, but it was just a name. And then I went to Skaro. And then I met you lot and I understood who I was. The Doctor was not the Daleks," he glanced at Clara as she worked on cutting the tubing apart, "Time Lords, humans, neither are Daleks," he added meaningfully, just for her, seeing her pause in her work before getting back to it, faster than before.

~8~

"Journey," Evy backed away, towards the memory banks once more, "You may want to hurry, the antibodies are on the way."

"Oh come on," she could hear Journey muttering through the walls, "Give me the star…" before another panel of lights sprang to life.

~8~

The Doctor looked over at a tug on his pant leg to see Clara pointing behind him, another impulse coming down from the memory banks, this one of the Daleks flying through space, attacking the Valiant when the Earth had been stolen, "Oh, look," the Doctor's expression grew grim at the sight of it, thankful that Evy was up above and wouldn't have to look at the ship that reminded her of her brother and how he'd died, "It's your memories again. It's like somebody's mucking about up there. Memories, all those memories…"

"Do you remember the star you saw being born?" Clara asked quietly, moving to stand beside the Doctor, one of the cords in her hand as she gave it to him, the first time she'd actually spoken directly to the Dalek herself, she didn't want to hear the man talking about memories, about all the different memories he had, she wanted to focus on just the one they needed.

~8~

"How's it going Journey?" Evy called as she remained as still as possible, staring at the antibodies…all of which seemed to be flying into an invisible wall in an effort to get to her.

"Almost there!" Journey grunted, "Last panel…"

"A little faster if you could…"

Evy reached up and wiped under her nose, not even needing to look down to know there was blood on her hand. The antibodies might be small, but they were persistent, knocking into the wall she'd erected, and two of them were starting to fire at it, she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer if Journey didn't…

The lights of the last panel flickered suddenly and burst to life, making the antibodies shake midair before they simply turned and began to float away.

"You did it," Evy breathed, turning to knock on the wall so Journey could hear her better, "You've found it, Journey, the Dalek's been reset!"

~8~

"I…" the Dalek blinked at the duo before him, "I remember."

They glanced over their shoulders to see the star, the memory playing right behind them, "You saw the truth, Rusty," the Doctor turned back, Clara unable to face the Dalek and choosing to watch the beauty of the star instead, "Remember how you felt. You saw a star being born. The endless rebirth of the universe…"

"No," the Dalek argued and the Doctor could tell its mind was struggling to hold to its Dalek programming, to fight the damage and the scarring that the radiation had caused, the way it had changed, the way it wanted to change now that the star was triggering its memories..

"And you realized the truth about the Daleks…"

"Truth? What is the truth?"

"Let me show you the truth," the Doctor moved to clasp the cord that Clara had given him in his other hand, "My Link's opened your mind and now _I'm_ coming in," he pressed the ends of the cords together, grunting and biting his tongue to keep from crying out with Clara beside him as the energy passed through him, much like in New York all those centuries ago, when he'd been holding onto the mast of the Empire State Building in an effort to affect the Dalek-Humans below, to change the way THEY thought, and here he was, doing it again, "I'm part of you," he panted, "My mind is in your mind."

Clara watched on, her gaze fixed to the holographic screen as the Doctor's memories played across it.

"I see your mind, Doctor," the Dalek agreed, "I see your universe."

"And isn't the universe beautiful?"

Clara had to smile at it, at the stars and the planets and just…all the wonders he had seen with Evy and LJ and other companions alike.

"I see beauty."

"Yes, that's good," the Doctor nodded, "That is good. Hold on to that."

"I see endless, divine perfection."

Clara had to laugh at that, the image had shifted to three women that Clara recognized, three of Evy's past incarnations along with her present one, all of them smiling at the Doctor in his memory, the last one fading to him holding LJ in his arms for the first time, to images of his boy's first steps and first words and first smile…

"Make it a part of you," the Doctor encouraged, "Remember how you feel right now. Put it inside you and live by it."

"I see into your soul, Doctor. I see beauty. I see divinity. I see…hatred."

Clara frowned at that, spinning around, "Hatred?"

"I see your hatred of the Daleks Doctor," the Dalek continued, "And it is good!"

"What?" Clara spun back around, her eyes widening as she saw images of when the Doctor had faced the Daleks in the past, how he'd stopped them, destroyed them…

"No, no, no," the Doctor shook his head, "You must see more than that, there must be more than that!"

But the Dalek was too far gone, the images of the numerous ways the Doctor had defeated the Daleks in the past too much for it to handle, "Death to the Daleks. Death to the Daleks. Death to the Daleks!"

"No, there must be more than that. There must be more than that. Please…"

"Doctor," Clara reached out and gently pulled the cords apart, making him drop them, "There isn't more to it than that," she told him, her voice hard, "The Daleks are evil and they must be exterminated."

Just behind her, over her shoulder, Rusty took up the cry, "Daleks are evil. Daleks must be exterminated. Daleks are evil. Daleks must be exterminated. Exterminate!"

The Doctor looked at Clara to see her looking over his shoulder as well and turned to watch as Rusty made his way through the Aristotle, firing at the Daleks that were within, not stopping, not slowing, until every last one of them had been destroyed, "The Daleks are exterminated."

"Of course they are," the Doctor sighed, "That's what you do, isn't it?"

Clara just swallowed hard at that, thinking about how SHE had destroyed all the Daleks on the Asylum so long ago, how she had been just like Rusty…but different, she was a human, she was doing it to save other people's lives, save the life of a baby, this…this was just destruction for hatred's sake.

She took a breath, no, she was not a Dalek, nor had she EVER been, she had been very, VERY human.

But a small voice in her head had to remind her…she wasn't human anymore.

~8~

The moment that the remaining quartet were removed from the Dalek and resized, Journey ran for her uncle, hugging him tightly, "Journey!" he breathed in relief as he embraced his niece.

"Uncle Morgan," Journey smiled pulling away.

"I have transmitted a retreat signal," the Dalek stated as the trio of Time Lords came to a stop near it, but still quite a few feet away, Clara seemed reluctant to step any closer and the Time Lords were not about to make her, "The Daleks will believe the humans have initiated the ship's self-destruct."

"And what will you do?" Evy frowned at the Dalek, they couldn't be sure just how long whatever they'd done to it would last, whether the Dalek would eventually revert to how it had been or keep its new vendetta against others of its kind.

"I must go with them."

"Of course you must," the Doctor muttered, "You've unfinished work, haven't you?"

"Victory is yours, but it does not please you."

"You looked inside me and you saw hatred," the Doctor shook his head at the Dalek, "That's not victory. Victory would have been a good Dalek."

Clara looked away at that, she wasn't sure she could handle a Good Dalek existing. Because then it would make what she had been, and what she'd done, one step closer to actually being a Dalek and she didn't want that. It made her sick to her stomach to think of that, to think about that echo-life she'd had. Daleks were the mortal enemies of the Time Lords and she felt like…like she'd betrayed everything she was when she'd been taken, even if she'd been a human in that life, even when it hadn't been HER that had done it. Thinking about how she had memories of a life where, for an entire year, she was a Dalek…it made her feel dirty. It made her question how in the Universe she could have been blessed with the Captain as her Link after becoming a monster like that, it made her question how he could look at her and know she'd been a Dalek at one point and not be utterly repulsed by her.

Evy stepped closer to her, putting an arm around her in comfort, not reading Clara's thoughts, not needing to, to know she was growing more upset by their continued presence around the Dalek.

"I am not a good Dalek," the Dalek turned its eyestalk to the Doctor, "You are a good Dalek," before rolling out of the room.

The Doctor just gave its retreating figure a dark look, shaking his head at that, but still remained silent. He would rather the Dalek call HIM that than Clara, to be called such a thing given all Clara had endured would surely be too much for her. So he merely turned without another word and put his arm around Evy's waist, needing comfort from her as well before turning the two women with him to walk out of the room, not even sparing the other humans another thought.

It wasn't till they reached the TARDIS in the hanger that he even paused to the sound of Journey rushing after them, "Wait, please!" the girl called, coming to a stop behind them, "Take me with you."

The Doctor looked at Evy who nodded, guiding Clara into the TARDIS and leaving him to deal with Journey, "We think you're probably nice," he began, "Underneath it all, we think you're kind and you're definitely brave. We just wish you hadn't been a soldier," he sighed, "We've too many of them around our son to begin with," he mumbled, turning to step into the TARDIS after the women, shutting the door behind him, leaving Journey to watch the box fade out of existence moments later.

~8~

"Clara?" Evy called as she and the Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS from picking up LJ from his playdate with his godfather.

"Yeah?" Clara's voice called from below the console where she was using a randomly placed mirror that was down below to finish up her makeup.

"We've got someone that's rather eager to see you…"

"CLARA!" LJ cheered when he saw her peek up from the stairs, hurrying over to her.

She burst out laughing as she sat on the edge of the steps she'd walked up to let the boy hug her, giving the Time Lords a questioning look over the boy's shoulder. He was dressed in a pair of dark trousers with bracers on them, a button up dark blue shirt…and a very large, long coat over him.

JACK was all the two could mouth to her as she rolled her eyes.

LJ loved to dress up like his godfather as opposed to dressing up like his father's last incarnation with its bow-tie.

"Ooh," Clara hugged the toddler tightly, "I needed that LJ, thank you for the hug."

LJ beamed at her and turned to hurry over to his toys, plopping down to play with them as his parents and Clara watched fondly as he switched from his dinosaur toys to his spaceship toy instead.

Clara stood up and looked over at the Time Lords as they began to pilot the box, "How do I look?" she asked, gesturing at her new outfit. After that encounter with the Dalek, she'd taken a very hot shower and had to change her clothing, feeling too dirty to continue to wear what she had been, actually going so far as to throw her last outfit into a supernova much like the Doctor favored doing.

The Time Lords hadn't asked any questions or commented on it at all for which she was thankful, she just…she'd rather forget the entire situation happened. Keep moving forward.

"Sort of short and round-ish, but with a good personality, which is the main thing," the Doctor answered.

Evy shook her head as the question went right over his head, "She meant her outfit," she informed him, leaning over to give him a small peck despite his obliviousness, "And you look lovely Clara," she told the woman, moving to pull a lever to set the box down, "Oh, look at that, distracted AND only 30 seconds after Clara left," she gave the Doctor a pointed look for her piloting abilities, half-mocking how he'd put it off as being distracted that had set them down 3 weeks after Clara had last seen them.

"Pfft," the Doctor moved over to her side, "How were you distracted?"

"You were in the room, weren't you?" Evy gave him a teasing smile, making him grin roguishly for it and lean in to steal a kiss from her, Evy's hand coming up to his cheek as she returned it.

Clara leaned on the edge of the console, shaking her head at them.

' _Must they always do that?_ ' the TARDIS huffed above her.

"I think so," Clara laughed, but she didn't have as much of a problem with it, it was nice to see, in a way, to know that even after so many centuries as a Linked pair, the two still felt that way about each other. It made her smile to think about her own future with the Captain, that they'd get that far, be together that long, and still feel that much love for each other, "So," she continued when they pulled apart, "When will I see you again?"

"Oh," the Doctor blinked and looked over, almost as if he'd forgotten she was in the TARDIS still, "Soon, I expect. Or later. One of those."

Clara smiled at them and turned to head for the door, pressing a kiss to her fingers and patting LJ on the head as she passed, pausing when she got to the doorway to look back at them, "I don't know."

The Doctor, who had been standing with his chin on his Link's shoulder, observing over it, with his arms around her, hummed and looked over at her, "Sorry?"

"You asked me if you're a good man and the answer is I don't know about THIS you yet," she said, sounding more sure than she had when she first answered, "But I think you try to be and I think that's probably the point."

"And that," Evy smiled, "Is why you are an amazing teacher," she laughed, "You should have picked that as your title instead of staying with Clara."

Clara rolled her eyes at that, waving to them before stepping out of the TARDIS. She took a deep breath, pulling her phone from her pocket, remembering why she'd stepped into the room in the first place, and began to head out of it…only to nearly run into Danny Pink as he walked down the hall.

"Ah, hey," he smiled sheepishly, stepping back to avoid walking into her.

"Hey, Danny," Clara tried to keep her voice calm before she turned and started to walk down the hall faster, hoping that the Time Lords would either wait till she got Danny far enough away before dematerializing or did so silently.

Danny frowned a moment, "Have you changed your clothes?"

"Yes," she blinked, a bit startled that he'd noticed such a small thing, "Yes, I…I have. Well noticed."

"Ok, good," he shrugged.

"Yes, good. Very good. Good work. You passed the test. Observant you are," she'd have to be careful with that.

"So um…" Danny began after a moment, "I…I don't think I'll go to the dinner tonight," he told her.

"Oh, ok."

"But um…drinks with friends on Friday? Is that still open?"

"Yeah," she smiled, "Course it…" she trailed off when she caught sight of something outside the window of the school's courtyard, "Is," she turned to Danny, "See you then? Say half 6?"

"Sure," he nodded, turning down one hall as she moved down another...only to pop her head back around it a moment later, watching Danny go, making sure to wait till he'd rounded another corner before she grinned and dashed back.

Clara opened the doors to the courtyard and ran to the man standing before what looked like a small shed, "Cap'n!" she cheered, throwing her arms around him.

J Smith laughed as he wound his arms around Clara, picking her up to spin her around a bit before setting her down, "Hello Cla…" he didn't even get to finish before she tugged him down by the front of his shirt to kiss her, his hands coming up to her cheeks as he went, only pulling apart when they needed to breathe, "Not that I didn't love that," he told her, a dazed quality to his voice and gaze that made her giggle, "Because I really, really did. But what was that for?"

"I just…missed you," she shrugged, "And, not that I don't love seeing you, because I really, really do," she mimicked, "But what are you doing here?" usually she expected to find him randomly appearing in her sitting room, rarely did he actually come to her school, IN the school even.

"You hugged me," he told her.

"I always hug you."

"Mini-me."

"I always hug mini-you."

"Yeah," he nodded, starting to rub the back of his neck, "I meant…you were upset," he told her, "I could tell, today, about…" he checked a watch on his wrist, "2 minutes ago, you hugged me tighter than you ever hugged mini-me. I couldn't really hug you back all that well as a toddler so I thought I'd come and offer my services now that I'm grown," he opened his arms to her.

Clara gave him the softest of smiles, the most loving of looks, before she stepped into him, winding her arms around his middle as he put his around her shoulders, just…holding her, hugging her, not asking what upset her, but just…being there for her.

And that was just what she needed after the day she'd had, a hug from the best hugger in the Universe.

He was right though, a hug from him was far more than a hug from his baby self. She had to wonder if this was what it felt like for the Doctor and Evy when they hugged and knew that yes, it certainly was, and she also knew she wasn't going to let go anytime soon. But that was ok, because neither was he.

He certainly was the Doctor and Evy's son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Clara :( But Jara hug :) I have to say, I'm really excited for Robin Hood :) I can say there's going to be a twist in those chapters that will have something to do with The Unicorn and the Wasp for this series ;)
> 
> Next chapter...LJ just might get jealous, the Doctor just might get jealous, and Evy's still got it ;)


	5. Robot of Sherwood (Part 1)

Clara shook her head as she stood before the Doctor by the blackboard of the TARDIS near the bookshelves, a small frown on her face. There was a mess of circular notes written on the board, Gallifreyan Math, according to the Doctor, he was trying to help her recall it. She was fair with spoken Gallifreyan, ok with written notes in it, but the maths were dong her head in a bit. It was normal, she was sure, her specialty had always been English, which she taught at Coal Hill, or even history. Math…not her strong suit. The Doctor seemed interested in trying to jog her memory about recreational mathematics in Gallifreyan though and she was just getting more and more lost as he went.

Evy was sitting on the small armchair off to the side, LJ on her lap as the boy tried to read a children's book to her, doing a fairly good job of it from what she could hear.

"Doctor," Clara sighed, "It's not very recreational if it's not fun," she gave him a pointed look, handing him the chalk, "Can't we do something fun? Go on an adventure or something?I've probably had more schooling than you and Evy combined if you total up all my memories, I'd really just like a bit of fun right now."

The Doctor sighed but rolled his eyes, "Alright then, take a punt. Your choice. Wherever, whenever, anywhere in time and space."

Clara beamed at that, "Well, there is something, some _one_ that I've always wanted to meet. But I know what you'll say…"

"Try me."

Evy snorted at that, making the Doctor wave her off.

"You'll say he's made up, that there is no such thing."

"People would say that about Father Christmas," Evy remarked, "But Jeff is a lovely fellow. Go on Clara, who is it?"

Clara bit her lip, "It's Robin Hood."

The Doctor blinked at that, "Robin Hood?"

"Yeah," Clara smiled, "I love that story. I've always loved it, ever since I was little."

"Robin Hood?" he repeated, starting to make his way down the stairs, towards Evy, an amused look on his face that she mirrored, "The heroic outlaw, who robs from the rich and gives to the poor."

"Yeah," Clara nodded…only to frown a moment later and huff when the Time Lords both burst out in laughter, "Oi!"

"Sorry Clara," Evy tried to contain her giggles, though she was half-tickling LJ's stomach to make him giggle as well, "It's just…"

"He's made up," the Doctor finished, "There's no such thing."

"I told you you'd say that," Clara crossed her arms, making her way down the stairs towards them.

"It's because we were there when the whole Robin Hood legend first got started," Evy explained.

Clara blinked, "Really?" she started to smile at that, about to ask how it happened…when a thought hit her, "Don't tell me you two…" she gestured between them.

"Guilty," Evy nodded.

"And how, exactly, did you two manage that one?" she nearly laughed herself.

"We were trying to help Charlemagne in the Ardennes," Evy shrugged, "An evil computer kidnapped him and threw him right out of his time. We'd almost got to him before the computer teleported him all the way to England. The Doctor, for some reason I can't even begin to tell you, decided using a longbow would be a help and, by the time we reached him just outside a small village called Nottingham, we ended up accidently sparking the legend."

"Robin Hood," Clara pointed at the Doctor, and then Evy, "And Maid Marian?"

"It was a good name, I didn't see a point in changing it."

"Lady Evelyn would have been better," the Doctor called, moving over to the console, "In my opinion."

"Your opinion's biased," Evy countered with a laugh.

"My opinion is spot on, I'll have you know," he shot back with a smile, "But you see Clara," he glanced at her, "Old-fashioned heroes only exist in old-fashioned story books."

"Yeah, but how many of those old-fashioned heroes are based on you?" she countered, "You pop up and stop bad things happening every minute of every day. And even if you look old-fashioned," she teased, "You're really not. And that sounds pretty heroic to me."

"Just passing the time," the Doctor shrugged, "Hey," he pointed a random spoon that was lying on the console at the three of them over on the chair, "What about Mars?"

' _No,_ ' the TARDIS cut in.

"Oi! What's wrong with Mars? We could go see the Ice Warrior Hives!"

' _Every time you land on or go near Mars, Doctor, you end up in trouble._ '

"To be fair," Evy got up, moving to the console with LJ in her arms, "Everywhere he goes he causes trouble."

"Yay!" LJ grinned at that, making Evy shake her head fondly at her son for his love of that particular fact.

"Well then can we go to Nottingham then?" Clara asked, "Or Sherwood Forest? Can we at least go to the actual places that you did, the ones that started the legend? I mean, you both look different than you did then, right? We could go and listen to the stories from the people that actually spread them."

"Or we could go see the Tumescent Arrows of the Half-Light," the Doctor countered, "Those girls can hold their drink."

Evy blinked and turned to him, "Think very hard about what you just said, Doctor."

The Doctor frowned, considering his words a moment, before nodding, "Sherwood Forest it is," he moved to the controls, missing Evy shooting a wink to Clara behind his back, "Earth. England. Sherwood Forest. 1190AD. Ish…"

Clara just beamed at that…before reaching out to grab Evy's hand and pull the woman towards the halls, leaving a confused Doctor behind.

~8~

The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS as it set down just on the top of a small hill in the middle of Sherwood Forest, looking out into the woods, rolling his eyes at the birds as they cheerfully chirped and the other sounds of nature around them. Nottingham would be close by but he didn't want to risk any of the people they might have run into last time seeing the blue box and working out who they were. It was best to park in the Forest and walk there.

"Are you coming?" he called back, looking into the console room, towards the halls, he could hear Evy and Clara talking as they drew nearer, but he couldn't quite see them yet, "Don't get your hopes up Clara, there will be no damsels in distress, no pretty castles, just stories of a character that doesn't exist. Robin Hood," he scoffed, muttering about what a silly name it was to begin with…

When an arrow flew through the air and struck the corner of the TARDIS. He looked over with a frown, seeing a man dressed in a green outfit…one that Robin Hood was typically depicted in, step out from behind a tree, his hair a reddish brown with a well tripped goatee,

"You called?" the man grinned widely, winking at him from across a small stream that had a large tree lying across it, "Very, very nicely done with the box, sir. I saw a Turk perform something very similar at Nottingham Faire. It's a trick with mirrors, no doubt?"

The Doctor, who had just pulled the arrow out of the box, rubbing the hole as it closed up, turned to the man with a deep frown, "A trick?"

"A good jest!" the man cheered, laughing heartily.

"This is not a trick," the Doctor shook his head, "This is a TARDIS."

"Whatever it is, you bony rascal, I'm afraid I must relieve you of it."

"It's my property, that's what it is," the Doctor straightened, watching as the man slowly started forward, hopping onto the fallen tree, using it as a bridge.

"Well, don't you know all property is theft to Robin Hood?" he gave a deep bow in the middle of the tree bridge.

The Doctor scoffed at that, "You're not serious."

"I'm many things, sir," 'Robin' straightened, "But I'm never that. Robin Hood laughs in the face of all. Ha, ha, ha!"

The Doctor sneered at the very deep laugh the man gave, "And do people ever punch you in the face when you do that?"

"Not as yet."

"Lucky I'm here then, isn't it?" he took a step towards 'Robin' actually intending to give the man a thrashing, not only was he completely out of his mind, to think himself Robin Hood when the man didn't exist, but he was taking credit and reputation from a legend and, likely, using it for his own selfish purpose. And he was not going to let his son see such a figure.

But, just as he made it two steps away from the box, Clara and Evy stepped out, "Might be a little bit much, but what do you reckon, Doctor?"

The Doctor turned and his mouth dropped open slightly, not at the sight of Clara, no. The girl was wearing a simple orangey-red medieval gown that was typical for the time, fitted on the top, flowing at he hips, with long cut away sleeves and a thin belt around her waist, a small silver circlet like object around her forehead. She was ordinary, but Evy…she was beautiful, but then again when wasn't his Link absolutely lovely? Evy had her hair pulled back in an intricate bun of sorts, the hair twisting and tugged, her glasses making her eyes bigger to him. She had opted to keep her black theme going, wearing a corseted top with a silver pattern embroidered in the front of it, her skirt flowing just as Clara's did, but her sleeves were more long and bell-like, made of a more sparkling black fabric that reminded him of stars in the black of space, from her shoulders to her wrists and hanging lower. She had a strip of the same fabric wrapped around her waist and falling down the front of her gown. She looked just…beautiful.

And so he told her just that, "Beautiful."

Evy smiled, "And what about our dashing young son?"

The Doctor looked down at where LJ was standing beside his mother, holding her hand, and nearly groaned, rolling his eyes and running a hand down his face at the sheer coincidence of what he was seeing. LJ was dressed…as Robin Hood. In a green tunic and leggings, brown boots with a small faux quiver on his back and a toy bow in hand, complete with a little green hat that had a little feather in it. He could almost see Evy and Clara getting the boy into such attire, Evy with her love of dressing their son up when he said a naughty word (Jack owed the swear jar Evy was now insisting they implement quite a bit after the last trip) and Clara's fondness for Robin Hood.

The boy hadn't stood a chance.

"By all the saints," he heard Robin breath behind him, "Are there any more in there?"

"Oi!" the Doctor spun around, "Eyes off, mate," he glared at Robin, feeling a protectiveness…surprisingly, not just for Evy but even a bit for Clara as well. The girl was…as good as his daughter-in-law really. They didn't have a word for it in Gallifreyan, but that was as close as it came in English. She was his son's Link and he would not have other men looking at her.

"Doctor…" Clara frowned, "Is that…"

"No," Evy shook her head, frowning just as deeply, "It can't be."

"But…he looks like…"

"So does LJ," Evy remarked, "I would imagine quite a few dressed up as their favorite hero…"

"That is _not_ Robin Hood," the Doctor agreed, firm in his conviction. They both knew the truth of the legend, they had BEEN there when it was created, Robin Hood did not exist…

So who was this man claiming to be him then?

"Well then," 'Robin' stuck his nose up, "Who, sir, is about to relieve you of your magic box?" he reached to his side and drew his sword from his sheath.

The Doctor glanced at Evy in question, "Oh, by all means," she waved him on with a nod, "LJ could use some entertainment of seeing his Daddy be the hero," she added, "Not much for epic speechery this one is…" she observed.

He nodded at that, moving back to LJ quickly and touching the boy's head, "I'll make it up to you, boyo," he crouched down, "You pick my weapon."

LJ giggled, "Spoon!"

The Doctor blinked, "Well…alright then," he nodded, standing and giving Evy an amused look as she could only shrug at that, it had likely been the last object LJ had seen him holding.

"Good luck," Evy offered.

He winked at her and turned, heading towards 'Robin' as the man remained standing in the middle of the makeshift bridge, "To answer your question," he began, "Nobody, sir. Not in this universe or the next."

"Well then, draw your sword and prove your words," Robin declared.

The Doctor smirked, actually starting to feel better about his weapon, to take down 'the great Robin Hood' with a spoon? That would be a delight to knock this man down a peg or two, "I have no sword. I don't need a sword," he opened the side of his coat and pulled out a leather gauntlet, "Because I am the Doctor," and pulled it on his hand, making sure to give the man a specific finger that had Evy huffing in his mind about as she covered LJ's eyes in the process, "And this is my spoon!" he whipped out his large eating spoon and held it out before him as though it were a sword, "En garde!" he cried, before lunging at Robin, forcing the man to block and trade blows with him.

"Um…" Clara began to Evy as they watched the two men fight with sword and spoon, "Does he actually know how to use a sword? Or fight one?"

Evy nodded, "Unfortunately he does," she sighed, glancing down at LJ as the boy watched his father with wide eyed rapture, "He wants to teach LJ it when he's older."

"What?!" Clara's eyes widened.

"Fencing, really," she offered, "It's more that he wants LJ to be able to defend himself if River's not around with her blaster."

"Oh, um, ok," Clara nodded, knowing she really had no say in how the Time Lords raised their son, even if the thought of LJ with a sword made her uneasy.

"I can teach you if you'd like?" Evy gave Clara a small smirk, "Unless you'd rather ask a certain Captain for lessons?" Clara blushed a bit, "It can be a rather intimate experience when you learn from someone you fancy…"

"Stop," Clara's face was as red as her gown now, "I'll think about it," she added as Evy laughed.

"Ow!" 'Robin' cried, making them look over to see that the Doctor had managed to tap the man on the back of the neck as he got past him.

"How DID he learn to use a sword?" Clara murmured.

"Richard the Lionheart," Evy shrugged, "Cyrano de Bergerac. Errol Flynn…"

"Right, got it," Clara nodded, laughing a moment later when the Doctor managed to tap 'Robin' on the backside as well, which only drove the man to retaliate by swiping a button off the Doctor's coat.

The Doctor glared at 'Robin' before stepping back, opening his arms wide as though inviting Robin to make his move. The man didn't hesitate, but lunged at the Doctor who deflected quickly with the spoon and spun around till they were back to back, leaning over to bump his bottom with Robin's, sending him falling into the stream.

"Daddy!" LJ started to run for his father, grinning and clapping as he went, dropping his little bow to get ot the man faster, leaving Evy to laugh as she picked it up, "Daddy won! Mummy!" he called as the Doctor scooped him up with a cheer, "Mummy! Daddy won!"

"I saw," Evy stepped over, "Very impressive," she added as the Doctor moved off the bridge as she leaned in to give him a peck of congratulations, only for him to pull her closer and kiss her deeper, ignoring LJ's whines of how icky it was.

Clara shook her head and leaned over the side of the stream, "Um…where'd he go?"

She screamed a moment later when Robin popped out of the stream with a gasp, clinging to the fallen tree for leverage, soaking wet and with a glower on his face that made the three of them laugh.

~8~

Whoever the man was that had decided he ought to be Robin Hood was, he was a rather cheery and high spirited fellow who, after being defeated by the Doctor in a duel, decided that the Doctor was a decent fellow and offered to introduce him to his Merry Men. Which was why they were walking through the forest, along a small gully, to a line of trees that, unless you were standing on the other side of them, you'd never notice were actually on a higher level of the forest, creating a series of shallow caves just under their roots. Evy and the Doctor were arm in arm and smirking at Clara and LJ. Robin had tried to do the same, to offer Clara his arm with a smile and a wink…till LJ kicked him in the shin while declaring 'My Clara!' and grabbing her hand. Clara had gotten the boy to apologize for kicking the man…after she'd stopped laughing at the situation. Now the two were walking ahead of them, Clara holding LJ's hand even with Robin walking on her other side, careful not to get too close. Oh their boy, he was so jealous of other men around Clara even as a toddler.

Robin ran ahead just a bit to greet his small band of men, all of whom were laughing and cheering to see him returning, "Let me introduce you to my men," he smiled at the group as they came to a stop before the camp, "This is Will Scarlet," he patted a man on the back, "He is a cheeky rogue with a good sword arm and a slippery tongue."

"My lady," Will reached out for Evy's hand, about to bow and kiss it, when the Doctor reached out and snagged hand back.

"My Evy," he mimicked his son, making Evy laugh and shake her head at that.

Will gave him an odd look before turning, about to try the same on Clara, only to see a tiny boy had taken both her hands and was giving him as much a glare as a toddler could, which was more amusing than threatening really. But he winced when he felt someone pull a hair from his head to see it had been Evy, who was now waving a little metal wand at it, "What do you want with my hair?"

Evy just hummed, "Coming up as authentic human hair," she murmured.

Robin eyed her oddly at that, but moved on to the next man, a portly bloke in a monk's robes, "And this is Friar Tuck. Aptly named for the amount of grub he tucks into."

"You skinny blackguard," Tuck ribbed him for it, earning a loud laugh from the other men before he stepped forward to greet the women…and almost fell flat on his face, "What are you doing?!" he spun around to see the Doctor behind him, holding one of his sandals that he'd snagged from right off his feet.

"This isn't a real sandal!" the Doctor declared.

"Yes, it is."

The Doctor gave it a sniff, grimacing at the stench, "Oh. Yes, it is."

"Could have just done this," Evy scanned it with her sonic, giving him an amused look for his action but shrugged, "At least you didn't try to taste it this time."

"This, er," Robin's odd look grew a bit more before he decided it might be best to just focus on Clara even with her miniature protector, "Is Alan-a-Dale," he gestured to a man with a lute in his arms, "He's a master of the lute, whose music brightens up these dark days."

"Stranger you are welcome here, in Sherwood's bonny glade," Alan began to sing to Clara, who gave him a polite nod until, "Ow!" the man spun around, gripping his arm, to see the Doctor with some odd cylinder in his hand.

"Really, Doctor?" Clara shook her head at him, eyeing the hypodermic needle-like object in hand.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," the Doctor muttered, not sounding it in the slightest, "Blood analysis. Oh. Look at all those diseases," he held it up to Evy.

"He'll be dead in about six months at that rate," Evy frowned.

"If he's real."

"I _am_ real!" Alan huffed.

"And this is John Little," Robin cut in, gesturing to a very large man off to the side, "Called Little John. He's my loyal companion in many an adventure."

Clara eyed the man, a bit in shock…till he stepped aside and a smaller man jumped up with a grin, making Clara blinked, realizing Robin had meant the smaller man was actually Little John. An apt name.

"Works every time," Will laughed with the others.

"I…cannot believe this," Clara looked at the Time Lords, "Should I believe this? Is this really actually properly happening? I mean…Robin Hood and his Merry Men?"

"Aye!" Robin cheered at that before the Time Lords could answer, "That is an apt description. What say you, lads?" the men gave a rousing cry of agreement and started laughing yet again.

"Stop laughing," the Doctor rolled his eyes, he was one that usually enjoyed laughter, especially his Link's and son's, but this was getting obnoxious, "Why are you always doing that? Are you all simple or something?"

"Maybe that's it," Evy offered, pulling his attention back to her, "Clones?" she suggested, "Replication Clones?"

The Doctor considered that, "Well, they're not holograms, that much is obvious," he agreed, "Could be a theme park from the future. Or we might be inside a miniscope."

"I don't think it's a miniscope," Clara offered.

"Robot!" LJ shouted.

"They don't act like typical robots," Clara shook her head, not denying LJ's thought but adding her own opinion on it. From what she could remember of various robots she'd encountered, the men weren't stiff or emotionless or jerky in their movements, they didn't reminder her of those base-stations or the Cybermen or the droids in that restaurant.

"They could be advanced," Evy murmured, "We've seen Cloned flesh at various stages, it could be a very advanced recreation…"

Robin frowned at them, "Forgive my saying," he began tentatively, "You do not seem quite of the real world."

"Yeah, sorry," Clara offered an apologetic smile, realizing she'd just started talking about the group of people as though they weren't real or right there, which was rude. Oh dear lord, she was turning into the Doctor wasn't she? She shook her head, no, until they knew what the men were she should treat them like they were real, and that was when a thought hit her, "Dark days?"

"My lady?"

"MY lady!" LJ huffed.

Robin laughed, "Oh of course," he took off his hat and bowed deeply to the boy, amused by how possessive the child was of Clara though Clara just seemed fond, "My apologies, my lord. I meant no offense."

LJ just pouted.

"LJ," Clara gave him a small nudge.

He huffed, "It's ok."

Robin chuckled at that as Clara looked back at him, "You said that these were dark days. What did you mean?"

"King Richard is away on crusade, my lady," Will offered, "His tyrant of a brother rules instead."

"And the Sheriff?" Clara asked, trying to take stock of just how many 'fictional' characters might exist now, "Cos there _is_ a sheriff, right?"

"Aye," Alan sighed, "It is indeed this jackal of the princes who seeks to oppress us for ever more."

"Or six months in your case," the Doctor quipped, having heard that part of the conversation amidst he and Evy trying to gather more samples and scans from the camp, checking the food and water.

"It is a shame to dwell on murky thoughts when there is such beauty here," Robin winked at Clara, who laughed and tugged LJ back, scooping the boy into her arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek…which, despite the boy's little crush on her, he tried to wipe away.

"Why are you so sad?" Clara asked the man, eyeing Robin as his expression grew soft and wistful at the sight of her with the boy in her arms, his thoughts clearly far from that little camp.

"Why do you think me sad?" Robin forced a smile.

"Because the Doctor's right, you laugh too much," Clara smiled sadly at that, "I've seen it. When you're overly cheerful it's because you don't want others to know something's bothering you," the Doctor had been the same way, the last him, the Captain was the same as well at times.

Robin sighed, "You know, I do not live this outlaw life by choice. You see before you Robert…"

"Earl of Locksley," Clara finished.

"Yes. I er, I had my lands and titles stripped from me. I dared to speak out against Prince John. But I lost the thing most dear to me."

"Who?" LJ asked, tilting his head, "Was she pretty?"

Robin gave a sad smile at that, "Beautiful."

"Not like Clara," LJ stated, with all the firmness a toddler could muster, "Not like mummy!"

"Oh your mother and…Clara," Robin laughed, "Are the epitome of beauty."

"Oi!" the Doctor called.

"I was complimenting her, sir," Robin rolled his eyes.

"Well don't."

"And why not?" Evy gave him an amused look, "Don't think I deserve a compliment or two?"

"Not from him," the Doctor jerked a nod at Robin, "And besides, I could out-compliment Casanova, and I have," he gave her a grin for that, moving closer to give her a small kiss.

Evy had to nod, "That IS true…"

Clara shook her head at that, turning her and LJ a bit away from the Time Lords, knowing that they were likely about to start actually kissing now, "Is it Marian?" she guessed, pulling Robin's attention back to the conversation.

Robin looked startled, "You know her?"

"I just might," Clara glanced at Evy and rolled her eyes to see she was right, the two were sharing a kiss right at that moment, though she'd meant it as…if the Time Lords were right, than Marian shouldn't really exist because she was Evy.

Though, the more she thought about it, it did make sense, the love story of Marian and Robin, or at least the love they shared, she could see a love like that in Evy and the Doctor, it would make sense that the love between the two would be a basis for the Robin and Marian legend.

"It was Marian who told me that I must stand up and be counted," Robin straightened his back and lifted his chin, before sighing and almost slumping, "But, I was afraid. Now this green canopy is my palace and the rough ground my feather bed. Maybe one day I will return home, but until that day. Until that day, it is beholden on me to be the man Marian wanted, to be a hero for those this tyrant sheriff slaughters."

"Green canopy," Evy repeated as she and the Doctor joined them, "But it should be Autumn now…the leaves should be turning brown. And it's quite warm for the approach of winter…"

"And that means…" Clara began, holding up a finger as the Doctor opened his mouth to comment, "Climate change? In 1190," she shook her head, understanding that it was unusual for the time that the climate would change so much with the lack of pollution that their time faced, "But what…"

"You must excuse me," Robin cut in, sensing they were about to start a conversation, likely a lengthy one that he wouldn't want to be caught in, "The Sheriff has issued a proclamation and tomorrow there is to be a contest to find the best archer in the land. And the bounty, it's an arrow made of pure gold."

"Which is a suspicious thing to do," Evy remarked, "An archery competition knowing that er…Robin Hood," she offered, still not sure who or what the man was, "Is an archer."

"A very fine trap indeed," Robin agreed with a grin, "Your wit, my lady, is second only to your beauty…"

"Oi!" the Doctor gave him a glare, tugging Evy closer to him, "Stop it!"

Evy rolled her eyes at that but leaned closer to the Doctor in an attempt to lessen the jealousy she could feel swirling in him. Secretly though, she was rather fond of when he'd do that, it made her laugh how he could get so cross when other men complimented her, like it was some sacred thing only he could do. It was almost true though, in a way, his compliments were the only ones she really took to heart.

Robin let out another loud laugh and gave them a deep bow, offing the tip of his hat to LJ to appease the boy before he turned to speak to his men once more.

"So what is he?" Clara asked, looking at the Time Lords, "If he's not the real Robin Hood, which he can't be if you two started the legend, then what is he?'

"A better question, what will he become when he realizes he's not actually real?" Evy sighed, leaning more into the Doctor's arms as they watched Robin carefully, her mind drifting to the Nestene Duplicates and the Pandorica, how they'd truly thought they were real…till they'd been activated, even…even a bit to Oswin in the Dalek, how, when she'd realized she wasn't human any longer, she'd momentarily slipped into being a Dalek before she fought her way out.

"Why can't we just let him keep thinking he's real?" Clara asked.

"What, let someone believe themselves an impossible hero?" the Doctor scoffed.

"We could let him BE an impossible hero," Clara argued, "In a way, it's rather sweet. A living legend and all, emphasis on living."

The Time Lords glanced at each other and then over at Robin, silent, considering.

~8~

"So what do you think boyo?" the Doctor asked as he and Evy stood to the side of the small archery ground of the castle, watching as Robin split the 'Sheriff of Nottingham's' arrow in the target on the other side of the courtyard, a crowd of people watching and cheering from the side in a makeshift stand, the Merry Men and Clara among them as the girl had gone to act as scout for them and hold a place for them while they prepared to join. The Doctor had wanted to 'make an entrance' which, of course, meant trying to get there before it all started and only succeeding in reaching the arena right at the end of it.

"Daddy better," LJ crossed his little arms over his chest, despite still being dressed like Robin Hood, he was very much on his father's side, though the Doctor suspected it had something to do with the winks and flirts that Robin had sent Clara's way.

"Well, go on then," Evy gestured at the arena, "Make your grand entrance, someone has to teach LJ how to do it properly."

The Doctor grinned, and pulled an arrow from his bigger-on-the-inside pockets, plucking a bow that was lying on a nearby table that the other archers had been using. He set up the arrow quickly, pulling it back so the multicolored feather fletching was at his lips and glanced at Evy questioningly.

She rolled her eyes but nodded, focusing as he released the arrow, using her mind to guide the arrow right to where Robin's had been, giving it an extra push to split Robin's arrow just before the man could be handed the golden arrow price by the Herald of the tournament.

"I'm the Doctor!" the Doctor stepped forward as everyone turned to see who had released the arrow, Evy and LJ walking behind him, Evy holding the boy slightly back as he clapped eagerly for his father, "My skills as a bowman speak for themselves. I claim my reward," he stepped up to the Herald and held out his hand for the arrow, "A mere bauble," he huffed, tossing it away towards the Merry Men as Clara started to sneak her way over to them, "I want something else."

The 'Sheriff' seemed to consider him a moment before nodding, "Name it."

"Enlightenment…"

Before the Doctor could even finish, Robin readied another arrow and fired it at the Doctor's, splitting it.

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that and released a second arrow from his pocket, Evy shaking her head at him but making it bounce off a guard's armor and the wall before it split Robin's again.

Only for Robin to fire yet another arrow, without looking, and managing to split the Doctor's.

Evy frowned at that, with all the wood in there, with the specifics and the strength needed to release the arrow with enough force to split them…Robin was most definitely not human.

"This is getting silly," the Doctor huffed, pulling his sonic out and flicking it at the target…making it explode.

"Not setting the best example for our son Doctor," Evy huffed as LJ went wild with cheers and clapping and pointing in excitement at the target.

But the Doctor couldn't even apologize or tell LJ not to do what he'd just done, when the Sheriff crired out, "Seize them!" and a handful of knights began to approach them, swords drawn.

Evy looked at the Doctor quickly, the man nodding, suddenly very serious, and moved over to Clara, half picking LJ up in her arms as she passed him to the girl, "Get ready to run," she warned Clara, a meaningful look on her face telling the girl NOT to argue with her about this.

Clara opened her mouth to argue, but Robin leapt in front of them, a sword now in hand, "Don't worry, Doctor. I'll save you!" he declared, speaking too loudly to not have wanted to be beard.

"We don't need saving," the Doctor muttered.

"Your honor is safe…for I am Robin!" Robin pulled off his hat and threw it aside, revealing himself to the crowd that began to cheer with gusto at the sight of their hero, "Robin Hood!"

However the cheers soon turned to cries of fright when, just after Robin managed to slice one of the knights' arms off…it just sparked, the knight unaffected, but revealing itself to be a robot.

"Witchery!" the shouts went up, "Witchery!"

"Robot," Evy glanced at Clara in warning, to get ready.

The arm-less knight's visor of its helmet opened to reveal a metal face behind it, a cross carved into its forehead where a violet light was glowing.

"Now we're getting somewhere," the Doctor murmured.

"Take them!" the Sheriff ordered, "Kill the rest. Kill them all!"

The moment that the robotic knight fired at them from the cross in its head, sending out a blast of energy, the crowd began to scream and panic and flee.

"Go!" Evy turned and urged Clara off, "Go with the Men, now!"

Clara hesitated a moment, but LJ squeezing her neck in a tight hug was all she needed to listen and run off, past the knights as the Doctor distracted them, using the frantic crowd for cover as she disappeared into it.

The Doctor and Evy waited till Clara was out of sight, before holding up their hands, "We surrender," Evy told the knight.

"He does as well," the Doctor grabbed Robin's hand to stop him attacking.

"What?!" Robin demanded, but the Doctor just turned and chopped the man's arm, causing him to drop the sword, "You miserable cur. I had them on the run!" he looked over, hearing his name called to see his men trying to get to him through the crowd, "Flee, lads, flee!" he called to them, "Live to fight another day!"

The Sheriff didn't even seem perturbed that the Merry Men were getting away as they turned to flee upon order of their leader as he was just grinning down at Robin, "To the dungeons with all of them."

"Are you completely mad?!" Robin hissed at the Time Lords when he saw them smiling at that.

"Quickest way to find out anybody's plans," the Doctor remarked, "Get yourself captured."

~8~

The dungeon, as far as dungeons went, was rather…lacking. It wasn't all that frightening or horrifying to be in. It was just a dark, stone room, hay on the floor, with no windows save for a cross shape cut into the walls. There were wooden stakes jutting out of the floors with small metal loops attacked to their base. The trio was sitting at each thick stake, their arms behind their backs as they were chained up, the chains going through the small metal loops, not only attaching them to the stake, but to each other as well. The only thing that was even remotely frightening was a skeleton sitting, chained in much the same manner across from them to a stake of its own. But the Time Lords were fairly sure that it was a false one, it would have fallen apart by now if it was as old as it seemed.

"Splendid," Robin muttered from his place to the Doctor's right, the man in the middle with Evy on his left, "Enchained."

"We are aware," Evy mused, stretching her legs out before her and crossing her ankles.

"Trussed up like turkey-cocks. Thanks to your husband."

"Link," Evy corrected, "Not husband."

"Shut it, Hoodie," the Doctor threw him a glare when he saw the man's eyes widen at the admission that they weren't married, not in an earth-sense, and yet had a child, he would not allow anyone to insult his child, "We saved your life."

Whatever Robin had planned to say was lost when he glared at the Doctor, his mind now back on the events that had transpired, "I had the situation well in hand."

"Long-haired ninny versus robot killer knights? I know where I'd put my money."

"On you," Evy remarked, glancing at the Doctor with a smile, "Tall, thin ninny vs. killer robotic knights? Always on the tall, thin, ninny, especially if he has a sonic."

"And an Impossible Girl at his side," he winked at her.

"If you had not betrayed me," Robin continued to lament, "I would have been triumphant."

Evy snorted at that, "Doubtful."

"You would have been a little puff of smoke and ashes," the Doctor agreed, but Robin just scoffed at the declaration, "You'd have been floating around in tiny little laughing bits in people's goblets."

"Balderdash!" Robin let out a loud laugh.

"Oh, right, here we go. It's laughing time," the Doctor rolled his eyes.

"Well, you amuse me, grey old man," and laughed even louder just to irritate the Doctor.

Evy looked over at that, an amused smile creeping onto her face as she watched the two men go back and forth like…well, children. She had to wonder which one of them would crack first and cry out to 'mummy' to 'make him stop!'

"Guard!" the Doctor answered her question, "He's laughing again! You can't keep me locked up with a laughing person!"

"Oh, I find that…I find that quite funny. Do you know, I feel another laugh coming on!" Robin turned to glare at the Doctor, letting out the loudest, most obnoxious laugh he could manage.

"Guards!" the Doctor shouted, "I cannot remain in this cell! Execute me now!"

Evy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud at that rather extreme reaction just to someone laughing and irritating him. If she had a penny for every time he'd done something that irritated someone else…well, she'd be richer than Jack.

"You heard him," Robin yelled for the guards as well, "Execute the old fool!"

"LJ," was all Evy had to say for the Doctor to realize his little flub in telling the guards to execute him.

"No, hang on, execute him," the Doctor jerked his head towards Robin.

"I do not fear death, so execute away," Robin declared.

"Execute him. I'd like to see if his head keeps laughing when you chop it off!"

"Oh, Robin Hood always laughs in the face of death!"

The Doctor grit his teeth as Robin began to laugh yet again, "Yes, rolling around the floor laughing, I would pay good money to see that. Guard!"

"Guard!"

"Guard!"

Guard!"

"GUARD!"

"GUARD!"

Evy couldn't taking it any longer and burst out laughing at that, curling her legs in towards her as she continued, laughing so hard that she almost started crying.

"Oh my god," she gasped, still laughing, "I can't breathe. I can't breathe…"

The Doctor and Robin, who had fallen silent at the sudden startling sound of her giggles, just stared at her, "Evy?" the Doctor began, not sure what to make of it.

"What, don't tell her not to laugh?" Robin muttered.

"Oi!" the Doctor shot him a glare, "She's my Link, she can do whatever the bloody well she pleases whenever she wants and I'll have no remarks from you about it."

"Sorry," Evy tried to get her laughter under control, but just ended up giggling again, trying, truly trying, to stop, "Sorry," she cleared her throat, a small chuckle escaping before she got it under control, "It's just…if LJ ever has a brother, Doctor…I'm expecting exactly this," she nodded at the two of them, "Bickering and fighting and trying to annoy the other. You two were so much like children just now I couldn't help but think of LJ, our toddler, getting put out with someone," she gave them a look, "The Doctor and 'Robin Hood' locked in a dungeon cell and bickering like two year olds. It's…it's quite amusing, you have to admit."

"I was not acting like a two year old," Robin defended.

"Oh yes you were," the Doctor rolled his eyes at Robin.

"Says the man that started it?"

"I'll have you know, I'm over 2,000 years old, hardly two!"

"Ha!" Robin's laugh was scoffing this time, "You certainly look it."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"You tell me desiccated man-crone."

"And the name calling," Evy really tried hard not to smile at that, "I wonder what creative names our son would come up with, with you as a teacher," she gave the Doctor a look, "Because I know what he would be thinking if he were here."

"How his father is right?" the Doctor guessed with a smile.

"How his mummy will be coming up with a backup plan to whatever plan his father MUST have come up with by now," she gave him a mock-chastising look, "Because, surely, his father would be thinking of a way OUT of here instead of wasting his time squabbling."

The Doctor blinked at that, "Right, a plan…"

"So you DO have one then?" Evy asked, laughter in her eyes though her smirk was knowing.

"Yeah, of course I have a plan."

"I too have a plan," Robin offered.

"Ok," Evy nodded, "Robin, you may go first."

"Why him?!" the Doctor cried.

"Rough draft before masterpiece, isn't that how it goes?" Evy gave him a smile, making the Doctor beam and shoot a smug look at Robin.

"I am…biding my time," Robin stated.

Evy blinked at that, "Ok. Doctor?"

"Yes, I have a plan," he nodded.

Evy gave him a look, "As I'm aware," she reminded, "But, at a guess, it'll be something involving your trusty sonic…which that Sheriff bloke confiscated, am I close?" the Doctor's silence was enough of an answer, "Right then, shall we hear the backup?"

The two men nodded, actually falling silent at that…when the doors to the dungeon were opened and the guard stepped in, a rather thin man with dirty hair and equally rotten teeth.

"The Sheriff himself commanded me to listen, to find out which of you is the true ringleader," the guard began.

"Ah, so he can do the interrogating," the Doctor nodded, "Very wise."

"Excellent," Robin threw up his chin in defiance, "He will get nothing from me."

"No, no, no, no. no. He will get nothing from _me_ , because interrogation, that's where I always turn the tables. You see," he looked at Evy, " _That's_ my plan."

"Just hurry up and take me to him."

"No, no, chop-chop, come on."

Evy had to laugh as the guard unchained HER manacles and hauled her to her feet, "Still got it," she muttered as she was led to the door.

"No!" the Doctor struggled in his chains, "Evy!"

"What are you doing?" even Robin seemed perturbed by the change in events.

"Ooh," the Doctor slumped as the door slammed shut and locked behind the guard, only for a smile to come to his face as he heard Evy whisper in his mind the backup plan she'd thought of.

Oh yes, she definitely still had it.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this was my hardest episode to write, in terms of Clara, I wasn't sure what to do with her. Like I really wanted her to be there for Robin to flirt with, but at the same time I couldn't see Evy just running away and leaving the Doctor to get thrown in Jail. And in the same breath I couldn't see them taking LJ with them into the dungeon, so it made sense for Clara to be with LJ and with the Merry Men. I also sort of wanted to highlight how Evy takes the Doctor's comments this time, more amused by him than irritated :)
> 
> I wanted to also reference a small moment from The Unicorn and the Wasp, where the Doctor and Evy were thinking of their past adventures and mentioned that they'd accidently sparked the Robin Hood legend. So, taking that, I've put a little spin on this story's version of the episode ;)
> 
> Next chapter...how will Evy handle the Sheriff? Will the Doctor kill Robin before the backup plan can happen? Who IS Robin Hood?


	6. Robot of Sherwood (Part 2)

Evy sat primly before the Sheriff in a dining room of sorts, on one end of a long wooden table, her hands clasped and resting on the edge of the wood, her back straight, giving the impression of a true noblewoman for the time, just staring the Sheriff down with slightly narrowed eyes as the man gestured at the pseudo-banquet that had been provided for them, all laid out on the table before her.

"Eat, my Lady, eat," he waved her on with a smirk, "Let it not be said that the Sheriff of Nottingham is a poor host."

Evy gave him a small smirk in reply, "I'm afraid that I've eaten a rather large meal with my Lord and my son earlier," she offered, not using the term husband, letting the man make his own assumptions, "But please, do continue to stuff your gob, it is ever so appealing," she added dryly.

The Sheriff's eyes narrowed at the insult before he mistook her smirk as one of jest instead of a serious comment, "Ooh I like you," he laughed, "You're refreshingly direct."

"Comes from centuries with my Link," Evy shrugged, "He doesn't do well with subtlety, used to be rather oblivious. Only way to get through to him was to be direct."

"I'll keep that in mind," the man smirked, as though thinking she'd just given away something about one of the prisoners, not realizing that the Doctor used to be that way, but wasn't that man any longer. He reached out and tossed two metal wands onto the table in between them, too far for her to reach, "Taken from your friend's strange tunic and your own pocket," he nodded at the objects, "An intriguing wand. Evidently a thing of awesome power. Tell me," he eyed her, "Are you from beyond the stars?"

"Says the man with the robotic army?" Evy raised an inquisitive eyebrow at that, "What would make you think me from the stars?"

"Well your beauty," the man stated, making her blink, "You are unparalleled to any other, my fiery haired goddess."

' _He's a dead man,_ ' the Doctor's voice spoke in her mind, making it rather impossible to not laugh or smirk at the situation, but she managed.

' _You can't go killing the Sheriff of Nottingham till I've worked out what he's up to,_ ' she reminded him.

' _No, no I'm quite sure we can work it out with or without him,_ ' the Doctor argued, ' _We can work it out and he would be more use drifting towards a blackhole._ '

' _He's just trying to butter me up to get information from me,_ ' she reassured him, ' _I'm not all that pretty._ '

' _You are stunning._ '

She looked down at that, fighting a blush even though she knew it would help the Sheriff think he was succeeding, completely unaware of the conversation she was having with the Doctor in her mind, ' _And you're rather dashing,_ ' she countered, ' _But I really do need to focus now, Theta._ '

' _Focus on me, not him. He's a dead man anyway. What sort of information can you get from a deadman?_ '

' _Cause of death?_ ' she supplied teasingly before growing serious, ' _You're not killing him till I've gotten what I need to know from him._ '

' _But he's flirting with you!_ '

' _He's just trying to be sneaky and failing rather badly at it,_ ' she nearly snorted, ' _Fiery haired goddess? Who in their right mind would call me that nonsense?_ '

' _Well I WAS saving it for a more private area of the TARDIS after Sigma was put to bed and Clara was off…_ '

Evy did blush that time, ' _Hush! I'm supposed to be getting information here._ '

' _I can get it from him, when I kill him. They do torture in the middle ages yes?_ '

' _You're not going to be torturing anyone,_ ' she huffed under her breath, ' _And even if you could, how are you going to manage that while you and Robin are lugging that stake with your chains through it about?_ ' he was silent at that, now aware that Evy was aware they were trying to go through with her plan to get free, ' _That's what I thought, no hush or no kisses for you when this is over and you've undoubtedly defeated the villain._ '

The Doctor's continued silence was all she needed to know that victory was hers and she focused back on the Sheriff, "Your words flatter me, good sir," she played along, ignoring the grumbling noise in her mind from the Doctor, "They are almost as intriguing as the mysterious lights I saw in the sky…"

"You saw them too?!" the Sheriff gasped.

Men, they were so easy to wheedle information out of weren't they. Spaceship? Of course there would be mysterious lights, there always were.

"Oh yes," she nodded, "And then the suits of armor that could walk about on their own…"

"I too have experienced this!" the Sheriff leaned forward.

"Do tell."

"Oh, no," the man shook his head, "Ladies first," he gestured at her, "I insist."

"Ah, but a good host entertains his guests," Evy countered, "Please, do tell your story."

The man nodded, his sense of propriety ringed, "Once upon a time, there was a brave and clever and handsome man," he glanced at Evy who just nodded along, unable to tell she was feigning interest, "Unappreciated by his royal master."

"Prince John," Evy nodded.

"The very same!" the Sheriff agreed, "Oh but then the lights in the sky appeared and everything changed," he grinned, "The skyship came to Earth in a fury of fire."

"It crashed," Evy narrowed her eyes slightly, working it out as he went but making it sound as though she were agreeing, stating what she had seen as well.

"A craft from the heavenly spheres, bedight with twinkling lights and miracles beyond imagining. The most beautiful thing the brave and handsome man had ever seen."

"The metal men must have recognized your worth," Evy murmured, trying to work out just what that worth was.

Whatever it was made the Sheriff grin widely, "It was I and I alone to whom the mechanical men then imparted their secrets. Shortly, I shall be the most powerful man in the realm. King in all but name, for Nottingham is not enough."

"Your empire shall spread," Evy remarked.

"After this, Derby," the Sheriff cheered, "Then Lincoln. And after Lincoln…"

"The world?" Evy guessed dryly, well this was turning out to be a fruitless endeavor, she wasn't learning all that much from the man apart from what every generic villain wanted.

The Sheriff stabbed the dagger he'd been using to carve his meat into the table, "Exactly!"

"If you have the trust of the metal men," Evy began, "Why have you not used them to expand? Why waste their power on…taxes?" she offered, assuming that the Sheriff, if he was in anyway like Robin was, ensconced in the legend of Robin Hood, would be collecting gold in the form of taxes.

"Enough questions," the man waved her off, "I'm impatient to hear your story."

"If you really thought I had a story," Evy slowly stood, "Than I cannot fathom why the metal knights thought you were wise enough to be their leader."

"What?" the Sheriff frowned.

"People are quick to share a story they think another person already knows," Evy shrugged, stepping forward and snagging her sonic and the Doctor's from the middle of the table, only for the Sheriff to lunge forward and grab her wrist.

"You are…very clever," he smiled at her, nodding to himself at a thought, "You'll do very well."

"For what?"

"Doesn't every king require a consort?" he leaned in, as though to kiss her…

Only to find himself flying backwards and into a wall as Evy quickly wiped beneath her nose, a bit surprised that there wasn't a drip of blood coming from it, "I told you," she stood over the man, "I'm taken," before she turned and dashed out of the room, leaving the Sheriff to scramble to his feet.

"GUARDS!"

Evy smirked as she heard the cry, picking up the edge of her skirt to run faster, ' _Theta?_ ' she called into his mind.

' _What is it?_ ' he responded instantly, ' _What happened?!_ '

' _You have my permission to kill him,_ ' she offered, not entirely serious, knowing he'd never actually KILL the man, but...she wouldn't be against the man getting his comeuppance.

' _What did he do?_ '

She almost laughed at the hard edge in his voice, ' _Well..._ '

~8~

The Doctor came to a sudden stop from where he and Robin had been rushing up the stairs of the castle at what Evy had revealed the Sheriff had tried to do, "He's a deadman."

"Who is?" Robin turned to him.

The Doctor glanced at him, about to answer…when something over Robin's shoulder caught his sight, a metal doorway in a hall of stone walls and wooden doors. He quickly pushed past Robin and headed for it, thankful that the door wasn't locked and making his way inside. It was a small hallway that led to a rather advanced, metal room. There was a control panel before him, a glowing orb on the console that he headed right for, "At last," he muttered, "Something real. No more fairy tales."

"What is this place?" Robin breathed, slowly spinning around to take it all in. It was…not like anything he'd ever seen before, odd lighting, strange gray materials around, unusual noises sounding from all around him.

"A spaceship," the Doctor answered, "More 29th century than 12th," he added, starting to look around, "Data banks, data banks, data banks. Where was this ship headed? Ah!" he found the databanks and quickly started to sort through the information that drifted past the monitor, "The Promised Land again," he read off the destination, "Like the Half-Faced Man, but more sophisticated," he glanced around, "Far more sophisticated. It disguised itself as a 12th century castle," he pointed to the screen as Robin joined him, the small display offering a projection of what had happened when the ship had crashed, or rather landed with the tip up, making it appear like the keep of the castle, "It merges into the culture, tries to keep a low profile, so no one notices," he shook his head, "Should have guessed that. Evy did that once, pretended to be human, kept a low profile. Should have made noise though, I would have found her, come for her…oh," his eyes widened as the display moved on to the crew of the ship, the robotic knights, "That explains the robot knights. But the engines. The engines are damaged," he shook his head, "They're leaking radiation into the local atmosphere, creating a temporary climate of staggering benevolence…"

"I beg pardon?" Robin gave him an odd look, this was…this was making no sense at all.

"Evy and I told you. It's too sunny. It's too _green_. And there is even an evil sheriff to oppress the locals. This explains everything, even you."

"It does?" Robin frowned.

"Well, what does every oppressed peasant workforce need?" he countered, "The illusion of hope. Some silly story to get them through the day, lull them into docility, and keep them working. Ship's data banks took the legend Evy and I started and expanded on that, on the stories that started to spread about us, about Robin Hood and Maid Marian. It looked through history for every myth and legend you could hope for about Robin Hood," he stepped back slightly, showing the information racing through every depiction of Robin Hood known to man, "Isn't it time you came clean with me? You're not real and you know it. Look at you," he gestured at the man, "Perfect eyes, perfect teeth. Nobody has a jawline like that. You're as much a part of what is happening here as the Sheriff and his metal knights. You're a robot."

"You _dare_ to accuse me of collusion with that villain, the Sheriff?!" Robin looked quite affronted at that.

The Doctor crossed his arms, "I dare."

"You false-tongued knave. I should have skewered you when I had the chance!"

"I would like to see you try," the Doctor dropped his arms, ready to face off with Robin right then and there…when the metal door they'd passed through was thrown off its hinges by a small explosion, laser firing past it and into the room, making them duck down.

"Doctor!" Evy managed to get ahead of the laser blasts, clearly having been what they were aiming for while she had been trying to get to him.

"Evy!" the Doctor reached out taking her hand and pulling her towards him as the Sheriff entered, two knights on either side of him.

"Surrender, outlaw," the Sheriff turned to Robin, ignoring the Time Lords, "Kill him. Kill Robin Hood."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that, "You can drop all that stuff now, Sheriff."

"What…" Evy began.

"He is not what we thought," the Doctor told her, "This is all play-acting. The ship, it's just like the SS Marie Antoinette, they're robots. The lot of them," he glanced at the Sheriff once more, "You're not fooling anyone, Sheriff."

The Sheriff just waved his hand, one of the knights stepping forward, powering up a blast from its forehead that sent Robins tumbling back towards the window as tit hit him. The man glanced back over his shoulder and then over at the Time Lords before he let go of the window and fell backwards out of it. The Time Lords hurried over, looking down to see that Robin had landed in the moat…and was now working on climbing out of it.

'Well if that doesn't prove he's a robot,' Evy murmured, not just the fall but the fact that the knight had struck him full in the chest and Robin hadn't been turned to ashes from it.

The Doctor nodded and turned to look at the Sheriff, "Stop pretending. You and your fancy robots. We get it. We understand."

"Oh, so you, too, know my plans?" the Sheriff deadpanned.

"You were right about one thing, Sheriff," Evy stated, "We ARE from the stars, which means we have ways of communicating that you couldn't fathom. All you told me, HE knows as well."

"You and your robots plundering the surrounding countryside for all it's worth in gold," the Doctor straightened.

"Because Gold is malleable and an incredible conductor," Evy agreed.

"You are creating a matrix of gold to repair the engine circuitry."

"This is the scheme the Mechanicals have devised," the Sheriff nodded, reaffirming Evy's earlier remark that the man truly wasn't all that wise if he spilled the secrets of his plan that easily, " Soon this skyship will depart. Destination, London. There I will obliterate the King and take my rightful place as ruler of this sceptered isle."

"It won't work," the Doctor shook his head, "There's not a chance. I've seen the instruments. There's been too much damage. You are stoking up a gigantic bomb!"

"Oh shush," the Sheriff rolled his eyes, gesturing at the knights that strode towards the two aliens and, with a quick tap on the head, knocked them both out, the Sheriff not even wondering why they hadn't fought back…

~8~

The Doctor and Evy sat quietly, side by side, with another young woman in a peasant's garb on the other side of the Doctor, deep in the dungeons. They'd woken a short while ago, both far too pleased to be in the dungeon to be normal, which gained the attention of the young woman, apparently…Maid Marian. As though Robin Hood and the Sheriff weren't enough, the Doctor had grumbled. But they had little time to remark on that. They'd woken at the sound of one of the robotic knights reporting that the engine capacity was at 48 percent, which was far too little to eve break orbit and yet the engines were starting to power up. Still, they'd been in the dungeons, exactly where they wanted to be as they assumed that would be the closest area to said engines and exactly where they needed to go. They'd both had their sonics by the time the knights had attacked them in the databank room. They could have easily subdued the robots, but they needed to be taken closer to the engines and quickly. Which had been what drew Marian's gaze as they were not as upset or forlorn to be there. They'd quickly explained the plan to her as she seemed to be of the same programming as Robin, being a robot as well as she had to be, and wanting to help the oppressed. They weren't about to try and change her mind, they'd need all the help they could get and the people there seemed to trust her.

Now they were just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"You are fit for labor," one of the robotic knights stated as it walked over to the three of them, "Stand aside," it ordered Evy and Marian, "While this peasant unit is freed."

"I'm afraid you're a little late," the Doctor shrugged easily.

"Explain."

The Doctor grinned, "I'm already free!"

Before the knight could even react, the Doctor pulled out a golden plate from under him, holding it before him as the knight tried to fire an energy beam from its forehead at him, causing it to bounce off the plate and hit the wall, Evy and Marian quickly pulling a golden tray and a golden backed mirror as well, helping direct the blast towards the knight, causing it to explode.

"Well look at that," Evy murmured, "That actually worked," she gave the Doctor an amused smile, "First time for everything it seems."

He rolled his eyes at her little dig against how his plans didn't usually work at all, before focusing on the people as more knights started to close in at the sound of one of their fellow droids being destroyed, "Now!" he shouted, waving at the peasants who all pulled out their own plates and trays, holding them up as shields while the knights attacked.

It wasn't easy, it wasn't safe either, people were still struck, by knights coming up behind them, by errant bolts that bounced off the trays at the wrong angles. But even as a human life or two was lost, more and more of the knights were destroyed till there was just one left.

"All of you, to us!" Evy cried, gesturing the people over, quickly forming a circle around the last knight. It shot a bolt at her, but they were all quick to raise their makeshift shields, bouncing the energy around, causing it to speed up and grow more powerful till it hit the knight again, blasting it apart.

"Out, out!" the Doctor started to shout at the people even as they began to cheer at their triumph, "Everyone, quickly, get out. Quickly!"

"Go!" Evy urged them on as well, "Keep going, don't stop running!"

Marian turned to them, hesitating to follow the freed prisoners, "You've saved us all, clever ones," she beamed at them, hurrying over to take their hands, squeezing them in thanks, "Thank you."

"Go," Evy returned the squeeze and sent Marian off, "Run to the woods," she shouted after her, knowing that there would be a greater chance that she'd be found by Robin or his men then, she'd be safe, even if she was likely a robot.

"Come on," the Doctor took Evy's hand, leading her off through the dungeons, following the sonic as it led them to the engine rooms, they didn't reach it however, only making it as far as the melt-down room when they heard a knight speaking above them.

"Engine capacity at 82 percent."

They skid to a stop and turned, seeing the Sheriff standing on a gantry, looking down at them beside a vat of molten gold, "You are indeed ingenious creatures," he observed them, "But do you really think your peasants' revolt can stop me?"

"I rather think you're the revolting one around here," the Doctor shot back, before grimacing, "I'm bantering," he realized, glancing at Evy, "I'm bantering. Listen to me."

Evy patted his arm and looked up at the Sheriff, "You don't have enough gold to repair the damage," she warned the man, "At 82 percent it's not enough, you try to fly you'll destroy England, and then where would you and your 'glorious kingdom' be?"

"Liar!" the Sheriff spat, "From my sky vessel, I shall rule omnipotent!"

"You pudding-headed primitive," the Doctor huffed, "Shut down the engines. What you're doing will alter the course of history!"

The Sheriff grinned at that, "I sincerely hope so, or I wouldn't be bothering."

"Oh just listen will you?" Evy shouted up to him.

"It doesn't have to end like this," the Doctor agreed, "Shut it all down and we'll do what we can. Shut down your robots, including Robin Hood and we'll…"

"What did you say?" the Sheriff cut in, "Robin Hood?"

"He's one of your tin-headed puppets, just like these brutes here," he gestured at the knights.

The Sheriff scoffed, "Robin Hood is not one of my knights."

"He may not be one of your knights, but he IS a robot," Evy argued, "He was created by the knights."

"Why would they do that?" the man shook his head, clearly thinking they were dull.

"To pacify the locals," the Doctor offered dryly, "Give them false hope. He's the opiate of the masses."

"Why would we create an enemy to fight us? What sense would that make? That would be a terrible idea."

"They didn't create him for that purpose," Evy shook her head, glancing at the Doctor, "You said the ship was damaged?" he nodded, "There's even more wrong with your systems than you realize. It's created a glitch in the robots. It downloaded the history and culture of this time, to help you all blend in, but the damage and the engine leak was too much. It fried the circuits, made a handful of the robots believe they were actually Robin Hood, and his Merry Men, his Marian, and…his enemy, the Sheriff."

"We KNOW that Robin Hood doesn't exist," the Doctor nodded, everything Evy was saying making sense to him and matching up with the extensive damage he'd seen in the computer's memory banks, "The one you think is Robin Hood, can't exist. It's only a legend…"

"You are too kind!" Robin's voice rang out, "And this legend does not come alone!"

The Time Lords looked up to see Robin standing on an upper level across the room, Clara beside him, with LJ in her arms, the boy looking quite cross with his parents for having been kept out of the loop and out of the fun of running around with robots after him.

"Hey," Clara gave them a sheepish grin, bobbing LJ as explanation for why they were there.

' _Oh dear lord,_ ' Evy murmured in the Doctor's head, making him look at her.

' _What?_ ' he frowned.

' _She really can't say no to him, can she?_ ' Evy gave him a half-amused, half-resigned smile for that.

' _He gets that innate charm from his lovely mother,_ ' he told her, ' _I can never say not to you either._ '

"Oh don't do that!" Evy shouted, catching sight of Robin pulling a dagger out and sticking it into a tapestry on the wall, grabbing Clara AND LJ in his arms and sliding down it to the ground, the little boy was cheering wildly for it but Evy felt her hearts stop at the sight of her son falling, even if he was securely in Clara's arms.

The moment they were on the ground, the Time Lords hurried over to their son and Clara while Robin faced the Sheriff, "My men have taken the castle."

"No!" the Sheriff snarled.

"Now I'm going to take you," Robin pulled sword and held it up at the Sheriff.

The Sheriff reached for an amulet around his neck, ""This one's all mine," he muttered, pressing it and deactivating the knights beside him, turning to make his way down the stairs beside him to join Robin on level ground, "What do you say, outlaw? A final reckoning?"

"Oh, yes," Robin's eyes narrowed, moving his stance to ready himself for the duel before lunging at the man.

"Are you two ok?" Evy asked Clara as soon as she reached them, taking LJ from her and kissing his head despite how he was trying to tug on her hair and shoulder to be able to see over it and watch the upcoming sword fight.

"Yeah," Clara nodded, "We made it to the Merry Men's camp, told them about Robin and you being taken, started to plan the siege. The castle's under their command, so it should be easy to escape…"

"Good," the Doctor cut in lightly, "We don't have long."

Clara nearly gasped as the room began to shake, a rumbling noise filling it, "I take it _that's_ what we don't have long to deal with?"

"The Sheriff's activated the ship," Evy told her quickly, "But it's not fully repaired."

"Which means the whole castle's about to blow," the Doctor added solemnly, "And your beloved 'Robin Hood' is a robot, along with the rest of them."

"Look!" LJ called, pointing over Evy's shoulder, "Mummy look! Fight!"

They turned, expecting to see Robin and the Sheriff on the ground, fighting, hopefully with Robin winning…only to see that the two were NOT on the ground any longer but in the rafters above them, dueling on the crossbeams over the crucible of molten gold. The women winced when the Sheriff was able to get a cut across Robin's arm, forcing him to let go of his sword. Robin, however, just held his arms open, much like the Doctor had at the stream, and let the Sheriff run at him, the man managing to block the blow, turning on the beam enough to get behind the Sheriff before kicking back, knocking the man's knee out from under him, leaving him to fall into the gold, Evy quickly covering LJ's eyes the moment she realize that the Sheriff was about to fall.

"Mummy, stop!" LJ huffed, managing to pull her hand off his eyes just as Robin descended from a rope to the ground, grinning at them.

"Sorry," his grin morphed to a smirk, "Was that, er, was that showing off?"

"That was quite something," Clara offered.

"And there's our proof," the Doctor nodded at the crucible where a hand was sticking out, wearing the Sheriff's signet ring…but a mechanical hand underneath it.

"But he cut you," Clara turned to Robin, reaching for his arm where she was sure she'd seen a hint of red blood.

Evy shook her head, pulling her sonic out and flashing it against the red on the sleeve, "Oil," she told Clara, "He IS a robot," she glanced at Robin, "Sorry. You were downloaded with all the information of Robin Hood, so much of it that when the system glitched, it made you think you WERE him."

"It's happened before," the Doctor shrugged, thinking back to a Jackson Lake and a similar event, "To humans as well."

"But…" Robin began, only for it to be cut off by the castle shaking around them, worse than before, so much so that the stones began to fall from the ceiling.

"No time," the Doctor cut in, taking LJ from Evy and urging her off, "Run! Come on, run!"

They took off running, Evy using her sonic to guide them through the halls and doors as they crumbled around them, out onto the main grounds. They raced towards the archways, to towards the walls of the courtyard and across the moat's drawbridge, towards the forest, stopping only when a rumbling noise grew too loud behind them. They paused at the edge of the forest where the Merry Men were waiting to see the ship taking off, flying into the sky by clearly struggling.

"It's never going to make it," the Doctor muttered, setting LJ down but keeping him close, "Not enough gold. It'll never make it into orbit."

"Not enough gold," Evy repeated, spinning around to the Merry Men, "Where's the golden arrow?" she demanded.

"Tuck!" Robin called, the portly man hurrying over to hand it to them, none of them all that shocked that the men had stolen it.

"What exactly are you suggesting?" Clara looked at them.

"The ship needs more gold," Evy explained, "If we manage to get the arrow to the engine, it might give it enough of a boost to get to orbit, safe enough away where the explosion won't cause as much damage."

"No," Robin shook his head as the Doctor offered him the bow and arrow, "It has to be you. My arm is injured."

"Your arm is fine," he shook his head, "You're a robot, what you think you feel as pain is just a glitch in the processors of your positronic brain. Push it aside," he held up the weapon, "And fire."

Robin hesitated, shaking his head.

"Can't you do it?" Clara looked at the Doctor, "You're good at this. I saw you. You won the tournament…"

"With my help," Evy shook her head, "He cheated, used my power to direct the arrow. Robin didn't, he had…unnatural accuracy and strength with the bow," she added with a look at Robin, telling the man that what he could do was because of his robotic components, that level of force needed to split the arrows the way he had, being able to fire with such accuracy without looking…it was all from being a robot.

"I'm…I'm not…" Robin struggled to explain himself.

"Robot or not," Clara began, knowing what was going through his mind, how much of his life was a lie? How much had he actually lived and how much was a fabrication? She could remember thinking that as Oswin Oswald, how much of the year that she remembered in the Alaska was real, how much was her mind protecting her? How far had she manage to get in the Dalek Asylum before they caught her? How many soufflés had she made that weren't real? She knew what it felt like to wonder if you were even real, "You ARE a hero, Robin," she told him, "Metal or flesh, people look to you for safety and help. So do it. BE the hero you were meant to be."

Robin looked at her a moment before taking a breath and reaching out for the bow and arrow, wincing slightly as he did so. But he managed to ready the arrow, to aim it, even to pull back the bowstring after a moment of struggle…and release it right at the ship.

They watched with keen eyes as the arrow struck the ship, right in the roundel of the engine, sending it racing off into the air, only to explode moments later, safely away, much to the cheers and relief of the crowd, no one cheering or clapping more loudly than LJ was.

"One awful day in Nottingham," Alan began to sing with his lute, "Brave Robin Hood was in a jam. The arrow flew it true…"

"Give it a rest, Alan!" Will huffed, pulling the lute away from his fellow Merry Man.

"Give me my lute!" Alan pouted, trying to snatch it back, but Will ran off with it.

Evy shook her head, "Children, the lot of them," she had to laugh at that, exactly like she was sure LJ would be.

Clara glanced over at the Doctor to see him rolling his eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Still not keen on the laughing thing?"

"No," the Doctor answered.

"Oh go on," Evy nudged him, laughing, as were LJ and Clara and Robin, but the Doctor shook his head. So she crouched down, "LJ," she put her hands on her son's shoulders, "Get him!"

LJ ran right for his father, reaching up as high as he could to poke and wiggle his fingers against his father's stomach, the Doctor, though not quite tickled, humoring his son and letting out a barking laugh that made Evy smile as he picked the boy up and tickled him without mercy in return.

~8~

"Are we going to be telling the Captain about this?" the Doctor asked as they watched Clara take an archery lesson from Robin, the man showing her how to properly aim and fire a simple bow.

"I don't see why we'd need to," Evy remarked, standing beside him, LJ in the TARDIS regaling the box with the adventure they'd just had, how there were robots running around Sherwood Forest playing out the legend of Robin Hood. He liked to do that right after adventures, tell his 'Aunt Idris' what had happened while it was fresh in his head.

"He's touching her," the Doctor narrowed his eyes at Robin as the man lowered Clara's elbow.

"It's an archery lesson, Doctor," Evy laughed, "He has to touch her to correct her stance."

The Doctor glowered at that, but she saw a hint of a smile when Clara released her arrow and hit the target with a cheer.

Clara turned to shout at them, feeling them watching her, "I did it!" she looked back at the target.

Robin laughed at that, a quieter laugh than before, "Whoever he is, he is a very lucky man," he told her, thoughtful about how he'd just given her a lesson and she hadn't even flushed at some of the small touches he'd had to use, unlike other women he'd taught that got all flustered. He could only think of one reason for that.

"He is," Clara agreed, a soft smile on her face, before she turned to him, "Marian is very lucky, too."

"I fear not," he gave her a sad smile.

"She…she's likely a robot too," Clara reminded him, not entirely sure where his mind had gone, "It's in your programming to be together. So don't give up. Not ever. Not for one single day. She'll find a way to you, you'll be together one day. Until then, be safe, if you can be. But always be amazing."

"I shall try," he bowed his head.

"Goodbye, Robin Hood," Clara gave his arm a pat as she moved past him towards the TARDIS.

"Goodbye, Clara Oswald," he called, watching as she paused in the doorway of the box to wave before heading in. He took a breath and shook his head, smiling as he moved to stand before the Time Lords, "So, it is true then, Doctor?"

"What's true?" the Doctor looked at him.

"That I am but a metal recreation of a legend," Robin smiled sadly, "And that not even that shall be remembered in the future. Just the legend."

"I'm afraid it is."

Robin considered it a moment, "It's just as well," he agreed, trying to stay positive, "History is a burden. Stories can make us fly. I would rather be part of the authentic legacy than seen as a falsified version."

"That's a good outlook," Evy gave him a smile, "We only started the legend, Robin," she reminded him, "Perhaps it IS you and your Marian that continue it, that create all the different adventures that came after us."

Robin contemplated that before laughing loudly, "Perhaps it is," he nodded, pleased, "Ooh to be a continuation of that legend," he eyed the Doctor a moment, "The story of a man born into wealth and privilege but finds the plight of the oppressed and weak too much to bear..."

"It's a good story," the Doctor agreed.

But Robin wasn't quite finished, "Until one night he is moved to steal a TARDIS?" he smirked, "Fly among the stars, fighting the good fight. Clara told me your stories," he added after a moment.

"She is quite fond of stories and legends," Evy remarked, thinking of how she taught English at Coal Hill, nothing but tall tales and myths in her head.

"She is quite fond of YOUR story," Robin corrected, "You two are her heroes, I think."

"I'm not a hero," the Doctor disagreed, "Evy, though…"

Evy rolled her eyes, "You are MY hero," she reminded him, "You are our son's hero."

The Doctor smiled at that, pressing a kiss to her temple for it.

"To be technically, I am not a hero either," Robin shrugged, "But if we both keep pretending to be. Ha ha!" he let out a booming laugh, "Perhaps others will be heroes in our name. Perhaps we will both be stories. And may those stories never end," he held out a hand to the Doctor to shake, "Goodbye, Doctor, Time Lord of Gallifrey."

The Doctor sighed but shook the robot's hand, "Goodbye, Robin Hood, Earl of Loxley."

"And you, my Lady Evelyn," he took Evy's hand, about to bring it to his lips to kiss when he caught sight of the Doctor's fierce glare and, instead, patted her hand with his other, "Time Lady of Gallifrey."

"Goodbye Robin," Evy laughed, giving the Doctor an amused look before they turned and stepped into the box, shutting the doors behind them.

"How long do you think the programming will hold up?" the Doctor asked her quietly.

Evy sighed, "Hopefully…a long while," she remarked.

The programming had been damaged in the robots, it was why they truly thought they were Robin and his Merry Men, the Sheriff and Marian, it was why they FELT things like love and honor and fear. There was no telling if it would repair itself over time, or if it would fall apart entirely. They would have to set the TARDIS to keep a lock on Robin and warn them of what might happen so they could return to either deactivate him or collect the robot for destruction, not about to risk someone finding a robot of Robin Hood in a medieval forest.

Clara smirked as she stood by the console, watching as they approached, "Admit it. You like him."

"As far as robots go," Evy smiled, "He wasn't the worst we've dealt with."

"And we ARE leaving him a present, aren't we?" the Doctor asked, moving to pull a lever on the console.

Clara looked at Evy in confusion, till she brought the monitor over to her to show her that, as the box was disappearing, a young woman, Maid Marian would be left in its place.

"The legend of Robin Hood and his Maid Marian is just…too good a story to stop just yet," Evy murmured as Clara watched them reunite happily, "They ought to be together."

"Just like this Robin Hood and Marian," the Doctor agreed, winding his arm around her waist and turning her head to kiss her, leaving Clara to roll her eyes and turn away, though there was a soft smile on her face when she caught sight of LJ reminding her she had her own Robin Hood waiting for her out there too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually really excited for Listen, which is weird because it wasn't my favorite episode of Series 8 :) I hope you all liked the bit of jealous/possessive Doctor, LJ had to get it from somewhere ;)
> 
> I hope the twist for Robin actually being a robot made sense. I felt like the episode built up where it could be possible that Robin and his men were really robots, so I wanted to examine a 'what if' they were thing :) The Doctor and Evy will be keeping tabs on them and, if the time comes to have to deactivate or dismantle the robots they'll be back :)
> 
> Next chapter...a duo becomes a trio, the Doctor's wrong (again), and someone is imprinted like a mother hen ;)


	7. Listen (Part 1)

"Question!" the Doctor called, "Why do we talk out loud when we know we're alone? Conjecture: because we know we're not," he hurried up to the blackboard of the console, grabbing a piece of chalk and quickly starting to jot on it, "Evolution perfects survival skills. There are perfect hunters. There is perfect defense. Question! Why is there no such thing as perfect hiding? Answer: how would you know?" he threw his hands out as he expressed his excitement at that thought, "Logically, if evolution were to perfect a creature whose primary skill were to hide from view, how could you know it existed?" he set the chalk down and stepped back, looking at the board, still speaking his thoughts aloud, "It could be with us every second and we would never know. How would you detect it, even sense it, except in those moments when, for no clear reason you choose to speak aloud? What would such a creature want? What would it do? Well?" he gestured at the blackboard, blinking when he saw that his notes were 'mysteriously' gone and now only 'listen' was written there, "What would you do?" he spun around and pointed at Evy as she sat on the armchair with LJ in her lap, a book open before them.

Evy blinked and sighed, patting LJ's head a moment, "Yes, son," she nodded, catching a glimpse of LJ's odd look at his father, the boy trying his hand at the eyebrow lift that his mother had always done though not quite as 'dooming' as it had been on her, "I'm afraid he HAS finally gone mad."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes at that.

~8~

Clara couldn't stop grinning as she walked into a small little pub, the Captain beside her as she held his hand, laughing at a joke he told her about a particular incarnation of his father and his habit of offering people, even his enemies, Jelly Babies even in the middle of danger, when she spotted Danny Pink sitting at a table off to the side of the room in a pink shirt, "Oh, there he is," she nodded towards Danny, giving him a wave as he returned it, a bit of a salute-like quality to it.

"Hey," Danny smiled, standing from the table when they approached.

"Danny," Clara smiled, "This is my…boyfriend," Clara's eyes crinkled in happiness at the word, even if it didn't come close to explaining what the man really was to her, "Captain Jonathan Smith."

"Call me J," the Captain reached out to shake Danny's hand. He wasn't very fond of people calling him J, not after River and the Library, but it was less pretentious than telling the man to call him 'the Captain,' especially when Clara had informed him that Danny, as far as she could tell, thought her human and thought HIM human as well. It was one thing to appear in a bright blue (or red) telephone box when there was an alien invasion and shout 'I'm the Captain' but it was another to do it in a more friendly and personal atmosphere.

"Danny," Danny nodded even though Clara had essentially introduced him already by addressing him first.

"So, shall we?" the Captain gestured at the table, Danny nodding and sitting back down as he pulled out a chair for Clara, taking a chair on the side of the table, Clara and Danny across from each other, but with him right next to her.

"The infamous drinks at last," Clara joked.

"Yeah," Danny shifted in his seat, feeling decidedly awkward to be across from Clara, knowing he might have had a bit of a crush on her, with her boyfriend right there, but…if there was any way he would get over it, it would be to actually get to know her and her boyfriend as friends, "Took a bit of time, family stuff, but here we are."

"Ooh they have nibbles!" the Captain grinned as he plucked up a menu and examined it, "I love nibbles. Nibbles, nibbling, excellent noun and verb both, don't you think Clar?"

Clara, who had reached out to take a sip of water nearly choked on it, her eyes wide as she looked at him, only to see he was being utterly serious. She felt a flush come to her cheeks for where her mind had gone and rubbed the side of her neck, quite thankful that the Time Lords seemed to heal faster than humans, the little bruise on her neck from his so-loved nibbling had faded, which was good as she'd wanted to wear the dress she was and it didn't exactly cover her neck.

She cleared her throat, "Could think of a few better," she teased back.

"You wound me," the Captain laughed, putting a hand over his left heart, being sure to do so despite the instinct to place it over the middle of his chest, "I think I need reparations for that slight against my wit."

Clara scoffed at that, "And what would you demand?"

"The usual," he grinned widely.

"You're _not_ getting your dessert first," she countered, making Danny choke on the bread he'd been trying to swallow, his eyes wide as he looked between the two.

"Ooh, but they've got chocolate!" the Captain pointed at the menu, making Danny breathe a sigh of relief, almost sure that they'd been talking about some other sort of dessert for a moment, "Look, chocolate cake. With ice cream Clara! _Ice cream_!"

"Dinner first," Clara gave him a warning point of her finger, making him huff, but smile, grabbing her finger to press a kiss to the tip of it.

"Anything for you, Clar," he winked at her.

Clara shook her head at him and turned to smile at Danny, "What do you think Danny? What'll you get for dinner?"

"Oh, er," he glanced at the menu, "Probably just some fish 'n' chips," he shrugged.

Clara nodded, glancing at the Captain and talking quietly with him about their choice before setting down her menu.

"So, Danny-Dan-Dan Dan," the Captain leaned forward a bit, setting his elbows on the table, his hand absently reaching out to Clara's hand, "Clar tells me you teach Maths."

"Oh, yeah," he nodded, "It's…yeah, Maths."

"Hope you're a bit more articulent than now," the Captain remarked, before wincing with an, "Oi!" when Clara lightly whacked him on the chest.

"Be nice," Clara poked him for good measure, "He just started."

"What did you do before Mathing?" the Captain looked at Danny.

The man almost started with 'Oh' again but bit his tongue, trying to form his thoughts before he spoke, he was always nervous around new people, "I was um…I was a soldier."

"Serving and protecting your country," the Captain nodded, "Brilliant. Really, it's...it's very commendable. Takes a strong sort to be able to do it."

Danny smiled a bit at that, but didn't go more into it, not really wanting to talk about that time of his life, "And you? Clara said you're a captain? Are you Navy?"

"You could say that," the Captain shrugged, "I've got a ship I command, yeah. Though, between you and me," he leaned in more, "I think Clar's more in charge of my ship than I am."

Danny laughed at that as Clara looked both exasperated but pleased with what the man had said, "Yeah, she seems the sort."  
"Oi!" Clara laughed, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're a bubbly personality masking bossy control freak," the Captain quickly held up his hands in surrender when she shot him a look, "Your words, not mine!" he defended.

Clara just shook her head at that, unable to really counter, she HAD said that on Christmas.

"So how do you like Coal Hill?" the Captain turned to Danny, genuinely wanting to get to know one of Clara's friends.

Clara was…a bit surprised, actually, that he was taking to Danny so well. She'd half expected him to pull a Doctor when other men were around Evy and go all jealous on the man before he even said a word, just because he WAS a man. But the Captain was surprising her, he seemed to like Danny well enough, which was good, she was hoping the Captain would be able to help Danny get out of his shell a bit more, ease up in school. He was always so silent and stutter when he did talk, he needed a boost of confidence and she knew the Captain was just perfect for that.

"It's fine," Danny shrugged, "The kids are…interesting."

Clara snorted at that, "Do you mean Courtney?" she asked, knowing instantly which of the children made them seem 'interesting' and that was putting it lightly.

"Courtney Woods?" the Captain glanced at Clara.

Clara blinked, before her eyes narrowed slightly in question, she hadn't mentioned Courtney to him, not yet, this was the first time, yet he knew who the girl was…which had to mean that LJ either met or heard her complaining about the girl. She was so hoping it was the second one. But she nodded, "Yeah, she's…very interesting," she offered, "This one time she told me my faces was too round."

"What?" the Captain laughed.

"Are you serious?" even Danny smiled at that.

"Her exact words were that she couldn't 'concentrate on her work, because my face was too wide.'"

"Your face is lovely, Clar," the Captain reached out to run the back of a finger along her cheek, making her flush.

"I could kill that girl some days," Clara admitted.

"Me too," Danny agreed, thinking about quite a few times that Courtney had nearly driven him mad as well.

"And from you, that means something," Clara laughed.

"Sorry?" the tone Danny used made the laughing moment go completely silent, but before Clara could even explain what she meant, Danny added, "I dug 23 wells."

"What?" the Captain blinked.

"23 wells. When I was a soldier. Twenty three."

"Ok," Clara began slowly, not quite sure why he was talking about wells, "Good. Good wells?"

"Yeah, they _were_ good, actually."

"I'm not doubting the quality of your wells."

"Whole villages saved. Actual towns full of people. People I didn't shoot. People I kept safe."

"Got it," the Captain nodded, frowning just a bit, "You helped. Soldiers do that. We know."

"So why doesn't that ever get mentioned?" Danny nearly huffed.

"I think Clara meant that 'coming from you' remarks as well, you don't seem the sort to get annoyed with much," the Captain shrugged, "You seem quite easygoing, like me so for that girl to get you irritated she must have done a lot. It's hard to get blokes like us annoyed."

"Unless you leave crumbs on the controls," Clara muttered.

"Well it has to be clean or else it won't work properly," the Captain sighed.

"Or forget to completely shut the door once when you were in a rush."

"That raccoon got into the pantry!"

"Or shake out your umbrella just inside the door."

"It's a safety hazard!" the Captain cut in, not seeing Clara's playful smirk, "It makes a puddle and puddles are slippery and I don't want anything to happen to you Clar," he looked at her, sincere, "I'd hate it for anything to hurt you, especially when you're with me and I should be able to keep you protected and safe."

"Cap'n," Clara smiled at that, "I was just teasing."

"I wasn't," he took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Everything I do, I do to keep you safe and happy. When you're happy, I'm happy."

"I'm happy right now," she told him.

"Really?" he smiled.

"Very," she nodded.

Danny looked down at that, he'd seen how happy Clara had been before, when they'd all been joking and he'd taken what she'd said in the wrong way. She'd been really confused and more than a bit upset and that had been on him, HIS doing…but the Captain made her smile like it was easy. The man probably had a lot of practice. He took a breath, he didn't want the night to turn sour because of him, "Sorry," he offered.

"It's ok," Clara murmured, turning away from the Captain to smile softly at Danny.

"It's just…a sensitive subject."

"Being a soldier?" the Captain guessed, "Yeah, my dad was one too. Mum as well in a way," he sighed, "They don't like talking about the past either. They prefer it when they can distract themselves."

"Oh?" Danny looked at him, "What do they do?"

The Captain, shrugged, "You teach, they travel."

' _And speaking of travel…_ ' the Captain's voice sounded in Clara's mind, making her look at him but he just nodded towards the back of the restaurant…where they could make out the blue of the TARDIS through a small window in the kitchen door.

' _What are they doing here?_ ' Clara called back to him.

' _I think they're here for you,_ ' he remarked with a small smile.

' _But I'm in the middle of something._ '

' _It's either you go to them or they'll come here, Clar, you know that._ '

She sighed, ' _Will you be alright for 2 minutes?_ '

' _I'd be ok with 5 if you need it,_ ' he offered jokingly, ' _Go on, Danny's a good bloke, and it'll give us a chance to bond like men do,_ ' he paused a moment, ' _That IS a thing, right? Male-bonding? Or did Uncle Jack make that up cos I outgrew needing to be 'babysat?'_ '

Clara stifled a laugh, ' _It's a real thing,_ ' she told him before sighing and putting a smile on her face, standing, "I'll be a moment, need to pop into the ladies'."

The two men nodded and Clara hurried off to the back of the restaurant, making sure Danny wasn't looking before she ducked into the kitchen. She almost rolled her eyes at how the kitchen staff were going about as though there weren't a large blue box sitting there. Evy must have increased the shields and perception filter. She shook her head and quickly stepped into the TARDIS to see the Doctor and Evy at the console, LJ at their legs, trying to peer at the monitor they were gathered around.

"Ok," she called, hurrying up to them, "What are you doing in here?" she smiled when LJ beamed and looked at her, waving frantically, earning a small wave back from her.

"Ah, yes, Clara," the Doctor turned to her, "We need you, for a thing."

"I'm sort of in the middle of something," she told them.

"Can you spare 2 minutes?" Evy asked, "I promise I'll get you back in exactly two, but the Doctor won't let up if you say no," she shook her head at that, "He's rather adamant that we need YOUR help with this."

Clara sighed but stepped up more, "Help with what?"

"You know sometimes when you talk to yourself, what if you're not?" the Doctor turned to her.

Clara could only stare at him, not entirely sure she was following, "Not what?"

"What if it's not you you're talking to? Proposition: what if no one is ever really alone? What if every single living being has a companion, a silent passenger, a shadow? What if the prickle on the back of your neck, is the breath of something close behind you?"

Clara raised an eyebrow at that and looked to Evy, "Is this some weird Time Lord brain teaser?"

"No," Evy sighed, "Though it DOES have all the signs that he's finally lost it."

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed, "I have not gone mad, LJ tell them."

"Daddy smart!" LJ defended instantly, "Listen!" he pointed to the blackboard that had the word written on it up on the gallery.

"It looks like your handwriting," Clara commented to the Doctor.

"Well, I couldn't have written it and forgotten, could I?"

"Easily," Evy told him, patting him on the arm, "And, thanks to you, we can't even ask the TARDIS if something wrote it," she looked at Clara, "He's set all the scans and alerts onto high, it's sapping a bit more of the power and he had to divert the power to the projection chip to manage it."

"I thought she was a bit to quiet with him going mad over there," Clara remarked, patting the console when the box still managed to give a huffy hum at that. But then her gaze caught something to the side, just down another set of steps, a workbench of sorts, all covered in books, "What's all that?" she nodded at it.

"Dreams," the Doctor stated, " Accounts of dreams, by different people, all through history. You see, I have a theory…"

"I'll bet you have," Clara muttered, only to round on Evy, "What theory?"

Evy laughed at the put out look on the Doctor's face, LJ mimicking his father and crossing his arms for good measure, "His theory is that everyone in the universe, at one point or another, has had the exact same nightmare. Apparently its' one where you wake up, sit on your bed, turn on the light, before trying to get out of your bed, but the moment your feet are on the ground, something reached out from under the bed and grabs your ankle."

"There ARE accounts of that dream throughout human history!" the Doctor defended, "Time and time again, the _same_ dream. Now, there is a very obvious question I'm about to ask you. Do you know what it is?"

"Have you had that dream?" Clara inquired.

"Exactly."

"No, Doctor," Evy laughed, "She was actually ASKING you that."

"Both of you," Clara clarified, looking at them, assuming LJ was too young to really dream something like that, "Have you?"

The Doctor shifted at that, "I asked first."

"No, you didn't," Evy called, moving around the console to LJ's side, "But if it makes you feel better, dear, yes, I have had that dream. Though I have an excuse."

"You do?" they both looked at her.

"You DO remember who my brother is, don't you Doctor?" she gave the Doctor an amused look, "You really think he wouldn't do something like that to me to freak me out?"

The Doctor had to nod at that, that DID seem like something the Master would have done to his little sister at some point.

"I have too," Clara admitted, "Probably. But everyone dreams about something under the bed."

"And that's just it!" the Doctor pointed at her, "WHY? Here," he reached out and took Clara's hands, tugging her to the back of the console, to a grating over one panel through which she could see a sort of pink, lumpy substance below, "Just hold on tight," he squeezed her fingers into the lump, "If anything bites, let it."

"The…TARDIS telepathic interface?" Clara guessed and he nodded, "Why do you need me connected to the TARDIS?"

"I'm extrapolating your entire timeline," the Doctor told her, "From the moment of your birth, to the moment of your death in all your past timelines, going to check if there's a pattern for a day and age that you've had the dream and pinpoint the strongest version of it…"

"That's why he wanted you Clara," Evy explained, picking LJ up and bringing him over to the girl so he could watch, "You've had so many different lives and to remember them, even locked away in your head, with the patterns you've formed in each life, it's a stronger possibility that he'll be able to pinpoint the exact time in each that you've had the dream. It'll likely be the same age so it'll be easier to track it in your current life."

"Right," Clara nodded, "I'm just going to pretend I understood that, ok?"

Evy patted her shoulder.

"Now, I'm turning off the safeguards and navigation," the Doctor called, "Slaving the TARDIS to you. Focus on the dream," he instructed, Clara nodding and closing her eyes, the sooner she did this the sooner she could get back to the Captain, "Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them."

The TARDIS will be able to track it back," Evy added quietly at her ear, "It'll harmonize all your subconscious lives and pick the strongest signal of the dream."

"And then, we'll see," the Doctor nodded.

"What will we see?" Clara tilted her head, still focusing on the dream but curious.

"What's under your bed," he reached out to pull a lever, sending them off, "Now don't get distracted," he called, "Remember, you are flying a time machine…" he was cut off by Clara's mobile ringing on the console where she'd put it incase there was some sort of alien invasion that the Captain needed to contact her about.

Oddly enough, it wasn't the Captain but Danny Pink's picture and number that popped up. It wasn't all that strange that it was in her phone, she'd put quite a few of the teachers in due to the phone tree requirements Coal Hill had in place, but it was surprising he was calling her when she'd just said she was stepping into the loo. But now, try as she might, she couldn't focus, her mind drifting to Danny Pink just for a moment at the sight of his picture on her phone.

"Clara you've got to focus," Evy reminded her, "Here," she reached out and hit the ignore button on the phone, cutting off the call, but the TARDIS landed a moment later anyway.

"Ok," the Doctor nodded, checking the information on the monitor, "That's good. That worked. We're here."

"Sorry, I think I got distracted," Clara glanced at him, apologetic.

"No, no, no, no, no. The date's fine. Come on."

"Come on where?"

"Your childhood!"

Evy shook her head as the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS doors and glanced at Clara as she set LJ down on the ground, "Be gentle and she'll let you go," she advised Clara, seeing her struggling to pull her fingers out of the lump, "It's like a Chinese finger trap that."

Clara nodded and slowly began to pull her hands back, smiling as the TARDIS released her, "Thanks," she called to both Evy and the box.

"Clara come on!" LJ reached out to take her hand, tugging her towards the doors in excitement, "Come on! Come on!"

"You are SO your father's child," Clara mumbled as she walked with LJ to the doors, Evy just behind her.

They stepped out to see they were standing before a rather large, stone building, numerous windows lining the side of it, almost all of them closed with the lights off as it was nighttime. Clara frowned, looking around, not quite sure where they were. The place didn't look familiar, not in any of her echo-memories either, at least she didn't think so.

"The West Country Children's Home," the Doctor explained, "Gloucester. By the ozone level and the drains, mid-90s. You must have been here when you had the dream."

"Never been to Gloucester in my life, and I've never lived in a children's home," Clara shook her head.

The Doctor just shrugged at that, "You've probably just forgotten, you DO have hundreds, if not thousands, of lives knocking around in your head. That would be overcrowding even for a Time Lord brain."

Clara couldn't really argue at that, she DID have a lot of memories in her head and she couldn't clearly remember them all instantly, sometimes they took work and focus or some sort of trigger to bring them up. And, it WAS possible, she supposed, that, even though she, the original Clara, had been born elsewhere and live elsewhere, one of her echo-selves could have been born around the same time but lived a different life so that they could save the Doctor in Gloucester whenever he might have been there.

Oh, that was an odd thought, that there could be someone that was her walking about right that very moment on Earth that was her but not her.

Though that DID bring up a thought, "Isn't it bad if I meet myself? I mean, past-Me or even other echo-mes?"

"It is potentially catastrophic," he agreed.

"So why did you bring me out here?"

"You're right though," the Doctor nodded, "Why don't you and LJ go wait in the TARDIS," he turned to her, "Evy and I will be just a minute."

"You take the west side, I'll take the east," Evy countered when he turned to look at her, "Cover more ground if we split up."

He nodded, pointing at her for her quick thinking before he turned to head to the building..

Clara shook her head at him and turned to Evy, "You're not really going to make us wait in the TARDIS are you?"

"So long as you promise not to get too close to your younger-self, I don't see a problem," Evy shrugged, "And besides, LJ wouldn't stop his tantrum if we put him in the TARDIS again and away from the adventure…and I doubt he'll let go of your h and now that he's got it," she smiled down at her boy who was smiling as smugly as a toddler could, swinging Clara's hand beside him, "So just…keep close and we'll be fine."

Clara nodded, the two of them starting to head for the east entrance, "If I _had_ been distracted, what would have happened?"

"We wouldn't have ended up in the right place," Evy remarked, "And, since the Doctor was piloting, we can almost assume that this IS the wrong place," she joked, the Doctor, oh she loved him very much, but he so often got the locations wrong and, despite what the TARDIS had said before on House, half the time it wasn't the box's fault. This was just...another wrong landing in a very long list.

"What are you doing down there?" a voice called from above them and they looked up to see a young black boy leaning out of his window to talk to them, though he seemed to be looking hesitantly at LJ before focusing on them.

"Who wants to know?" Evy gave the boy a joking smile.

He laughed, "My name's Rupert."

"Hello, Rupert," the two women and even LJ called up to him.

The boy just grimaced, "Rupert Pink. It's a stupid name."

"No, it isn't," Clara defended, "I know somebody called Pink."

"I meant _Rupert_. I'm going to change it."

"Why are you awake so late at night Rupert?" Evy asked him, glancing at the other windows that were all out, before noting how he'd looked away at that, "Have you had a bad dream?"

"No," the boy defended, but Evy gave him a look, not quite her eyebrow of doom, but an expectant double-eyebrow lift, and he sighed, "Yes."

"Are you scared?" Clara frowned at that, and he nodded, looking away. Clara glanced at Evy who nodded and she smiled, "Well you just stay right there and we'll come up and help, yeah?"

Rupert smiled at that and nodded.

~8~

Evy knocked politely on the only door of the dark second floor hall that had a light shining under it, pushing it open after a muffled 'come in' was called to see Rupert sitting on the floor just under his window, staring at the door as though waiting for them.

"Hello," Clara smiled.

"Hello," the boy greeted.

"Very neat room," Evy complimented, looking around, everything was in its place, nice and neat and proper…which meant LJ had a good idea of where the toys were, however the boy moved to a small bookcase next to the window and plopped down beside Rupert.

"Read?" LJ pointed at the shelf.

Evy laughed lightly and shook her head, "Sorry, LJ, not at the moment."

The boy pouted though there was no weight behind it and it faded rather quickly when Clara moved over to the lone chair in the room and sat down as he scrambled over to her and clambered onto her lap, much to her amusement as she wound her arms around him to keep him from falling off her.

"You know, you should have more than one chair," Clara remarked, nodding at Evy even though the woman was just walking the perimeter of the room, observing it, "What do you do when people come round?"

"Sit on the bed," he shrugged.

"So why aren't you on the bed right now?" Evy turned to him, but Rupert looked away.

"Do you think that there's something underneath it?" Clara guessed, "Hey, everyone thinks that, sometimes. That's just how people think at night."

"Why?" Rupert frowned.

Clara glanced at Evy a moment, hesitating before asking Rupert "Did you have a dream?" she eyed the boy, "A hand grabbing your foot?" he looked at her sharply for that, "You have, haven't you? You've had that exact dream."

"How did you know?!"

Evy smiled at that, moving over to sit on the floor beside the boy, "You understand that dreams aren't real," she spoke, though it sounded like it was hinting at a question, "There's never usually anything under the bed. It's just your subconscious's fear of the unknown, of the thing you can't see that makes you think there's something there."

"What are you doing?" Rupert called to Clara as she stood up, setting LJ on the chair and heading to the bed.

"Do you know what's under there?" Clara moved onto her knees and then lying down so she was parallel to the bed.

"What?"

"Me," Clara smiled at them, before rolling under it, "Come on!" her voice called to them from underneath, "It's perfectly safe."

"Well that's one way to do it," Evy laughed, moving to help LJ down from the chair, the boy quickly crawling under the bed but lying on his stomach. She gave Rupert an encouraging nod moving to the other side of the bed and lying on her side, not entirely under it but able to see under the now crowded space as Rupert joined Clara, lying on his back next to her.

"See?" Clara shrugged, "Nobody here, except us."

Rupert was quiet a long while before he admitted, "Sometimes I hear noises."

"It's a house full of people," Clara replied logically, "Of course you hear noises."

"They're all asleep."

"They're all dreaming," Evy corrected.

Rupert frowned at that, "Can you hear dreams?"

"Oh yeah," Evy laughed, "Humans can too if you're clever," she glanced at him, "Like when you see a dog and it runs in its sleep and its tail is wagging, you know what it's dreaming, don't you? Good dreams or bad, they can't do anything except affect how well you sleep, well or not at all."

"You know, sometimes we think there's something behind us," Clara agreed, "And the space under your bed is what's behind you at night. Simple as that. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Evy blinked when, just after Clara said that, the lights went off and the bed above them creaked, as if someone had just sat on it, a heavy someone given how the mattress sagged towards Clara's nose.

"Evy…" Clara turned her head to look at her, "Who else is in this room?"

Evy pushed herself up to see there was someone, a small someone, about a child's size, sitting on Rupert's bed with a red blanket draped over them, "Rupert," she began, "I think one of your friends might be trying to tease you," she told him.

She wasn't quite sure that was actually what was happening, but with the boy and her son so close to the thing on the bed, literally right below it, she wasn't going to risk alarming them or making the thing, if it was a thing, retaliate to being called out.

Clara gently pushed Rupert to the side to get him out from under the bed, LJ crawling towards his mother's hand as she reached down for him, picking him up and stepping back from the bed, LJ's hand curling in her hair as they looked at the figure, Clara stepping around it with her hand in Rupert's.

"It's not funny this," Clara told the thing, about to say more when the lights turned on. They looked over to see the Doctor sitting, almost bored, on the chair, flipping through a book, not seeming at all perturbed by the thing on the bed.

"Where is he?" he muttered.

"What?" Clara blinked.

"I can't find him," he huffed at the book in his hand, "Can you find him?" he held it out to Evy who took it with one hand, balancing LJ on her hip.

"Tell me you aren't referencing Wally," Evy gave him a small smile, but the Doctor nodded, "This isn't a Wally book, he's not in here," she held it up for him to see it was a legitimate book, didn't even have pictures in it to try and find Wally in.

"Are you sure?" the Doctor took it back, making Clara smile as she realized they were trying to distract Rupert, "Have you even tried to find him?"

"He's not in every book, Doctor."

"Really?" he frowned, before sighing with a shrug, "Well, that's a few years of my life I'll be needing back," he glanced over at Rupert, peeking at him from behind Clara's back so reminiscent of LJ at times that he frowned, "Are you scared?" he asked the boy, "The thing on the bed, whatever it is, look at it. Does it scare you?"

Rupert could only manage a glance at it before looking away, "Yes."

"Well, that's good," the Doctor nodded, "Want to know why that's good?"

"Why?"

"Speechy!" LJ called, grinning at his father and bouncing in his mother's arms, "Speech? Yes?"

Evy had to laugh at that, "Oh go on," she gestured the Doctor towards Rupert, "You haven't given one in a while. Let's see if you still got it."

The Doctor grinned at the challenge, hopping off the chair and moving to crouch down before Rupert, Clara stepping aside to allow the Time Lord to speak to him, "Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard," he took Rupert's hand, "I can feel it through your hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain," he tapped Rupert's temple, "It's like rocket fuel. Right now, you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher, than ever in your life. And you are _so_ alert, it's like you can slow down time. What's wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower! It's _your_ superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what? It's you. Do you feel it?" he squeezed Rupert's hand, "Do you think he feels it?" he lowered his voice, nodding at the bed, "Do you think he's scared? Nah. Loser. Turn your back on him."

"What?" Rupert blinked at that.

The Doctor just stood, "Yeah, turn your back on him. Come on," he started to turn, holding out a hand to Evy as she set LJ down, the two of them taking LJ's hands and positioning him between them, his back to the thing on the bed as they moved to face the window, "You too, Clara."

"Clara," Evy called, seeing her not turning in the glass of the window, "Now, if you could Clara dear."

"Call me Clara dear one more time," Clara muttered but stepped over to join them, Rupert hesitating beside her though.

"Do it now, turn your back," the Doctor called to Rupert, holding his hand back to the boy, "Lovely view out this window."

"Yeah," Clara moved to reach for Rupert as well, tugging him to stand between her and the Doctor like LJ was, "Come and see all the stars."

"Now," the Doctor began as Rupert joined them, "There are two possibilities. Possibility one, it's just one of your friends standing there, and he's playing a joke on you. Possibility two, it isn't."

"So, plan?" Clara glanced at the Doctor, "Plans are good. Do you have one or should I just skip to Evy's backup plan?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that even as Evy giggled, "Oi!" he called back over his shoulder, "You on the bed, I'm talking to you now. Go in peace. We won't look. Just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's ok. Just leave."

Clara frowned as she saw the thing get closer in the window, "THAT was your brilliant plan?!" she half hissed at him, feeling Rupert tighten his grip on her hand.

"Don't look round," Evy warned them quietly, trying to slowly reach into her pocket for her sonic, intending to scan the thing and see what exactly it was, one of Rupert's friends or not, "That goes for both of you boys," Evy called, not even needing to look to know that both LJ and Rupert were undoubtedly trying to look back at the thing.

"Don't even look at its reflection," the Doctor added, "Close your eyes."

"What is it?" Rupert frowned.

"Imagine a thing that must never be seen. What would it do if you saw it?"

"I don't know," Rupert whispered, scared.

"Neither do I. Now close your eyes."

"What?" Rupert shook his head, not wanting to do it, even with his back to it, he could at least see where the thing was, but if he closed his eyes…what was to stop it grabbing him and he wouldn't be able to stop it, neither would the adults.

"Close your eyes," the Doctor repeated, "All of you. Evy, you as well," he glanced at her, "Don't pull your sonic," he added, knowing she was going for that, "Just close your eyes."

"Doctor…" Evy shook her head, if she could just flick it on they'd at least know if it was one of the children.

"Just give it what it wants," he countered, though he was speaking to all of them, waiting till they'd all closed their eyes before continuing, "Prove to it that you're not going to look at it. Make a promise. A promise you're never going to look at it."

"I promise never to look!" Rupert said instantly though the others remained silent.

"The breath on the back of your neck," the Doctor murmured, "Like your hair's standing on end. That means it's there and that means don't look round."

At the sound of the door slamming the Time Lords jumped and spun around, relieved to see the thing was gone.

"Gone," Clara confirmed.

"He took my bedspread," Rupert pointed at his bed, now bare of the red blanket.

"Oh, the human race," the Doctor muttered, "You're never happy, are you?"

Rupert looked up at Clara, "Am I safe now?" he asked her.

"Nobody's safe," the Doctor scoffed, "Except LJ," he picked up his boy, tickling his stomach a moment, making him grin…and reach out to tug on his father's nose, "But especially not for you," he continued despite his voice having gone nasally due to LJ, "Not at night in the dark when anything can get you. And all the way up here, you're up here all alone…"

"Doctor," Evy stepped over to him, a hand on his arm, "I would stop talking right now," she leaned in and kissed him, patting his cheek, "You're on the verge of frightening Rupert."

"Went way past 'on the verge of,'" Clara muttered, looking around the room for something that might help calm the boy down…and smiling when she saw little plastic soldiers, much like LJ's toy knights, "These yours?" she picked up the box of them.

"They're the home's," he shook his head.

"They're yours now."

"People don't need to be lied to," the Doctor muttered.

Clara tried very hard not to laugh at the still nasally sound of his voice, LJ really had a firm grip on his father's nose, "Yeah, well _children_ don't need to be scared by a big, gray-haired, stick insect, but here you are," she teased.

"Oi!"

Evy just leaned in and kissed his cheek, "Let her be Doctor," she told him, reaching up to gently pry LJ's hold off his nose.

"Right, Rupert," Clara turned to him, "See what I'm doing?" she moved onto her knees and began to place the little soldiers all around the perimeter of his bed, "This is your army."

"Plastic army," the Doctor whispered to Evy, "Won't be much use against…"

"Hush," Evy gave him a look, "They're no different than LJ's little plastic knights."

"These, Rupert," Clara continued, pointedly ignoring the Doctor, "They're going to guard under your bed. You see this one?" she held up the most well painted one, "This is the boss one, the colonel. He's going to keep a special eye out."

"It's broken, that one," Rupert frowned, pointing at the soldier's empty hand where something had been snapped off the end, "It doesn't have a gun."

"That's _why_ he's in charge," Evy offered, "A soldier so smart and brave that he doesn't need a gun," she gave the Doctor a smile for that, earning a kiss to the top of her head for it even if LJ gave a quiet 'ick!' as well.

Clara snapped her finger and pointed at Evy, "Exactly," she nodded, focusing on Rupert once more, "He can keep the whole world safe. What shall we call him?"

"Dan," Rupert started to smile.

"Sorry?" Clara gave a small laugh at how quickly he'd come up with a name.

"Dan, the soldier man. That's what I call him."

"Good," Clara agreed, "Good name."

"Yeah," Rupert started to nod, reaching out to take the little soldier, smiling even more, actually feeling safe, "Would you read me a story?" he looked at Clara with wide eyes.

"My Clara!" LJ huffed in his father's arms.

"It'll help me get to sleep," Rupert continued, not having heard LJ's words.

"Sure," Clara nodded.

The Doctor, however, just rolled his eyes, passing LJ to Evy as he stepped forward, "Once upon a time…" and touched Rupert's forehead, knocking the boy out instantly, falling onto the bed, deep asleep, "The end," he straightened and smirked at the women, "Dad skills."

Evy smiled and stepped over to him, "You ever put our child to bed like that, and I'll do the same to you," she warned him.

"Of course not," he huffed, "I love bedtime and reading to him as much as he likes being read to."

"Good," Evy patted his cheek, leaning in to kiss him, "And speaking of bedtime," she shifted LJ in her arms, "I think it's nearly someone's."

"No!" LJ pouted, "No, mummy, no! Big boys stay up!"

"Sorry boyo," the Doctor laughed, "Listen to your mother."

LJ just crossed his arms and gave his father a look as though he'd been deeply and grievously betrayed.

~8~

Clara sighed as she stepped back into the TARDIS, "So is it possible we've just saved that kid from another kid in a bedspread?"

"It could be," Evy agreed, setting LJ over by his toys, allowing him to get at least a few more minutes of play in before bed.

"The bigger question is, why did we end up with him, and not you?" the Doctor eyed Clara.

She shrugged, "I got distracted."

"But why that particular boy? You don't have any. You don't have any kind of connection with him, do you?"

"He's…he grows up to be a coworker, is all," Clara answered, "I was having drinks at the pub with him and…someone," she gave a slight nod at LJ, implying it was his older self, "When you came to collect me. Why?" she frowned, "Is there something else?"

The Doctor shrugged this time, "The TARDIS was slaved to your timeline. There should have been some kind of connection then.

"Will er, will he remember any of that?" Clara hesitated, hoping it was negative, "I feel like he just imprinted on me like a mother hen," she laughed nervously at that, not sure what it would mean for her friendship with Danny now if he had some sort of subconscious attachment to her.

"No," Evy reassured her, "I managed to scramble his memories a bit. Made it all a dream about the last thing he was thinking of, soldiers and being the hero, Dan the Soldier Man and all."

"Dan the soldier man?" Clara repeated, starting to frown at that, thinking about how defensive Danny had gotten on the subject of being a soldier and wondering if the only reason he'd even been one in the first place was because of her accidently getting the box to target his timeline. She couldn't help but feel a sprig of guilt forming at that, "Right, well…can you take me back now?" she looked at Evy, "I'd rather not stretch the 2 minutes to 5."

Evy smiled, "Eager or worried?"

"Eager," Clara gave a smile of her own, she hated when her time with the Captain was cut into or interrupted, it always made her miss him more, "I have someone to get back to."

Now she just had to hope that the Captain hadn't completely blown his cover or that aliens hadn't invaded in the last 2 minutes, that would be an...interesting discussion to have to have with Danny on the first meeting.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another little cameo for the Captain here :) Drinks with friends with a healthy dose of Jara flirting ;) I can say though that THIS J's reaction to Danny is quite mellow and non-jealous for a reason that we'll find out very soon ;)
> 
> Next chapter...Clara has concerns, Evy's hair is irritating, and...how well DOES Orson know Clara? O.O


	8. Listen (Part 2)

Clara smiled as she sat back down beside the Captain, loving the way his eyes lit up and his smile widened just by seeing her, "Sorry."

The man glanced at a watch on his wrist, "1 minute 47 ," he nodded, "Must have been mum," he mumbled under his breath, making Clara laugh even though Danny seemed confused to what they were talking about.

"Um…" she glanced at Danny, "You called before?"

Danny blinked before his eyes went wide, "Oh, yeah, sorry," he gave her an apologetic smile, "I was putting J's number in my phone and accidently hit Clara when I was trying to test it for 'Captain.'"

Clara turned to the Captain with wide eyes, "You gave him your number?"

"Yup," he popped the p, "My mobile phone."

Clara rolled her eyes at that, "One day that joke won't be funny," she remarked.

"I've yet to see that happen, and it's been…quite a long time," he casually put his arm around the back of her chair.

Clara shook her head at that but couldn't help but lean in a bit more against him, "So what were you boys doing when I was…elsewhere?"

"Just talking," Danny remarked.

"About what?"

"About you," the Captain grinned and Clara's eyes narrowed, "Only the best! I swear," he crossed his left heart, "I only ever have the absolute best to say about you Clar."

"Feeling's mutual," she murmured.

"We were talking about how you were one of the first teachers to talk to me," Danny added, "That you were polite and welcoming."

"Oh," Clara smiled, "Well, I was just trying to be nice."

"You never have to try Clar, you're just wonderful," the Captain remarked.

"Ok, enough of you," Clara nudged, him, "You're already racking up the kisses, no need to overdo it."

"I would never!" he put his hand over his heart in mock-offense, "As though I compliment you just for a kiss. I never."

She gave him an eyebrow for that.

"Oh that really is SO creepy," he mumbled.

"What is?" Danny frowned, not seeing anything wrong with her look.

"My mum used to do that ALL the time," the Captain told him, "Seems like Clara's picked it up from her."

"You spend a lot of time with his parents?" Danny eyed Clara a moment, she would have had to spend quite a while with them to pick up a habit from them.

"They travel," Clara shrugged, "I joined them a trip or two when the Captain was off."

"You like travelling then?" Danny looked between them, "Been anywhere nice?"

The two started laughing at that, making Danny even more confused.

"Sorry, was…was that funny?"

"No," Clara shook her head, "No, no it's just…we've been a few places yeah."

"Nice to look at," the Captain added, "Vicious to actually stay for a time though."

"I know that feeling," Danny mumbled agreeing.

The Captain sobered at that a bit, "Still, a few places yet we still need to get to."

"Like what?" he looked between them, "What's the next trip?"

"Oh…" the Captain waved his arm behind Clara, "Wherever the wind takes me…or wherever Clar wants to go. All in her hands. Wherever she wants and whatever she wants to do."

"You just aim to please don't you," Clara teased him.

"Always for you Clar," he told her earnestly.

Danny was silent, just observing them a moment, he could see why Clara was with a bloke like the Captain, he was good man, kind, and he loved Clara very much. He could admit…he had a bit of a crush on her, he thought she was pretty and smart and there was just something about her he couldn't put his finger on that made her interesting to him. But he could also tell that she saw him as just a friend, and why wouldn't she, she was very committed to her boyfriend, a blind man would be able to see how much they cared for each other in just how they spoke to each other.

"You're outdoing yourself tonight Cap'n," Clara smiled at him.

"Why do you call him Captain?" Danny asked, "Sorry!" he added, realizing that it was probably some sort of personal question between them, "It's just…don't really hear people call others by titles and things, I mean, not…not out of the field and all. And…just ignore me, sorry," he looked away fidgeting.

It was just, every time he heard a title being used in place of a name, all he could think about was his soldier days, how they were 'Private' and 'Soldier' and 'Lieutenant' instead of 'Danny' or their names. It made him feel like his identity was being taken away and only some sort of robot was being left in place. He understood calling a judge or doctor that when they were in a courthouse or hospital, could understand calling someone headmaster in a school, but outside it? You didn't really hear people, especially a significant other call you by a title instead of name.

"I dunno," Clara shrugged, "Just…what I call him," she couldn't very well say that he'd picked it up from his father, the Doctor, to tell people to 'call me the Captain' and even then it was just…something they did.

"She does it special," the Captain said simply, "She was the first to call me it like that."

"Sort of like River was the first to call you J."

"River?" Danny frowned at that.

"My best friend," the Captain said, a sad sort of smile on his face, "Professor River Song. Oh she's brilliant."

Danny blinked and glanced at Clara, "And…and you're ok with…"

"What?" Clara laughed, "With him having a best mate that's a woman?" she shook her head, "Men and women _can_ be friends. I trust the Cap'n, and I trust River too," even though River wasn't technically around, if she was, she'd trust him with her. She trusted his past self with her after all. And, it was probably easier for Danny to believe River was around, it would be really weird to have to explain she'd been basically eaten by a computer and ended up living in a virtual world…

Probably a conversation for after they'd all hung out a few more times.

Or never.

"River was the first to call me J, Clar was the first to call me Cap'n…"

"He's the first to call me Clar," Clara nudged him, "Which is just as well, my name," she rolled her eyes at that, a small inside joke passing between the two of them, much to Danny's growing confusion. Her name changed so much but there always seemed to be a majority in all her echo-lives that she had something to do with 'Clar' so it was really much easier to respond to that than her full name, even if it was just one letter less.

"What's wrong with 'Clara?'" Danny asked, "It's a brilliant name."

"I agree," the Captain smiled at her, "Most beautiful name in the Universe."

"And Oswald, it suits you," he started to laugh, "It's better than Pink."

"Oi, don't knock the Pink," Clara laughed, offering him a smile, "Pink is nice. I like pink."

"You can have it then."

"Am I gonna have to fight ya for her?" the Captain joked.

Danny's eyes widened, just realizing how that could have come across, "No!" he said quickly, "No, no I just…I meant…" but then he saw them fighting smiles and shook his head at them, narrowing his eyes, "Funny," he laughed at them.

"I think I'll keep the Oswald for now," Clara considered, "Clara Pink?" she scrunched her nose, considering what her life would have been like to that point with that as her surname.

"Clara Smith," Danny tried to joke, making the Captain back out a happy laugh as Clara blushed.

"Oi, you hush up Rupert," she shot back at him.

Danny's smile fell once more, "Sorry?"

"What?"

"Rupert?"

"Yeah?" Clara shook her head, not sure why he was getting all tense, "That was your name, yeah?"

"Who told you that?"

"Er," Clara blinked, as though just realizing that he probably legally changed his name to Danny instead. She'd just thought that he offered Danny as a middle name or something, like the Captain offered J at times, or even Ianto if he was trying to be undercover, "Someone in the school?" she offered.

"No, I haven't used that name for years," Danny narrowed his gaze at her.

"It was me," the Captain cut in, not wanting the night to turn into a fight, "Clara mentioned you to me," he told the man, "That you'd be joining us for the night and I…googled you?" he glanced at Clara, ' _That's a thing, right, google?_ ' she nodded her head at that.

"You googled me?" Danny gave him an odd look for that.

The Captain shrugged, "I love Clara, I just wanted to make sure the person she was working in the school with wasn't an axe murderer or something."

"And you saw Rupert Pink?" Danny seemed to be trying to find the truth in his next words.

"You can find anything on the internet."

Danny was quiet a moment before nodding his head, "Yeah…I suppose the records would be available there…"

"And then," the Captain continued, his hand on Clara's shoulder subtly poking her with his thumb, "I googled spacemen."

"What?" Danny gave him an odd look.

"Spacemen. NASA. Astronauts," the Captain nodded, both trying to change the topic to something lighter and also clue Clara into something across the room, "I got bored," he shrugged, "Your name made me think of astronauts."

"Rupert?"

"Daniel," he corrected, "Daniel C. Burbank, one of the astronauts on the American space program…I love space. My friend, Riv, she called me Spaceman all the time. She loved space too."

"The…professor?" Danny struggled to recall if the River woman was a professor.

"Yep."

"Of astronomy?"

"Archaeology."

"But you said she was…"

"Hobby," he cut in, "Much like travelling is a hobby, wouldn't you say, Clar?" he gave her a look, nodding to the side, towards the back where she'd disappeared to before.

Clara glanced over and nearly sighed in exasperation to see a spaceman, in an orange suit like the one they'd used to take pictures of the Caliburn House, standing just outside the kitchen gesturing for her to come with it as it moved back through the door, to where she could see the TARDIS still sitting.

"Yes," she nodded, "Travelling can be a hobby, and, speaking of travelling, why don't I travel myself to the counter and get us some drinks," she had a feeling she was going to need one by the end of the night.

"I can…" Danny started to stand, ready to get them himself.

"No!" Clara said quickly, "No, no, you two were talking about hobbies…why don't you tell Danny about your hobbies, Cap'n and I'll be back in a mo."

Before either man could counter, Clara was off, hurrying towards the counter…but quickly slipping past it back to the kitchen when she was sure Danny was occupied with the Captain, sure that he'd be able to hold Danny's attention long enough for her to see what the Time Lords needed this time. So she quickly hurried into the kitchen, dashing through it and into the TARDIS, only to see the spaceman was present, in the process of pulling off his helmet.

"Doctor please," she sighed, "I am trying to have a nice evening with friends. And I really would appreciate it if I didn't have to keep hopping back and for the between the TARDIS and…" she cut off quickly, blinking when the man turned to reveal that he was not the Doctor at all…but, "Danny?"

He looked very much like Danny Pink, just with more hair and a fuller beard, his hair graying as well, he looked older.

"Hello," the man greeted though he didn't appear to recognize her.

"Ah, Clara!" the Doctor called as he came up from one of the stairs to the underconsole, Evy behind him, LJ nowhere to be seen, which she was sure was because the boy had been put down to bed for the night as the Time Lords had been threatening to do before she left, "Well done," he patted the man on the back, "You found her. Now this is really a bit strange…"

"Clara?" Evy frowned, looking at the girl's rather startled and confused expression, "Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"Er, who's Danny?" the man asked, giving Clara an equally confused look.

"This is Colonel Orson Pink," the Doctor introduced, "From about a hundred years in your future."

"Orson _Pink_?" Clara repeated.

"Yeah, I laughed too," he grinned, quickly stepping away from Evy with a slight flinch, as though still expecting her to slap him for come comments despite the fact she hadn't done so in centuries.

Evy just shook her head in amusement and stepped closer, "Apologize," she told him.

"Sorry," he said quickly to Orson.

"Good," she leaned in and kissed him, before turning to Clara, "Can you think of any connection you might have with him Clara?"

"Connection?" Clara shook her head, starting to frown.

"Yes, maybe you're like a distant relative or something?" the Doctor suggested.

"He's from her future, Doctor," Evy reminded him, kissing his cheek and patting it, "She wouldn't be able to determine if he's a relative just yet."

"Well she might," he countered, "All that extra travelling she does," he gave Evy a pointed look, reminding her of how their grown-son travelled with her through time and space as well.

"True," Evy agreed, "But if he was related, I think WE would have sensed that," she gave him a pointed look in return. If Orson was some sort of relative to Clara, then he'd be THEIR relative as well…and they didn't sense a Time Lord off of him.

"Right," the Doctor nodded, realizing that, "Er, well, do you have any idea who SHE is?" he turned to Orson but gestured at Clara, "Recognize her at all?"

"I don't," Orson shook his head.

"How did you find him?" Clara turned to the Time Lords.

"It seems that the TARDIS still had a bit of a trace on your timeline," Evy explained, "When we tried to leave, the TARDIS took us right to him."

"So, obviously, he is something to do with your timeline," the Doctor remarked, "And you'll never guess where we found him!"

Clara frowned at that and looked at Evy, "Am I going to WANT to guess?"

Evy could only laugh at that.

~8~

"So this is it?" Clara breathed as she stood in a capsule of a spaceship, staring out a small porthole window on a metal door, a wheel just below it, out at a desolate, rocky planet, "The End of the Universe?"

"Sense that can you?" the Doctor glanced at her and she nodded.

"We're on the very last planet," Evy agreed.

"But I thought the TARDISes aren't supposed to come this face," Clara turned to them with a frown, before she blinked and put her hands on her hips, fixing the Doctor with a hard look, "Doctor…did you turn off the safeguards?"

"Listen," the Doctor said instead, not glancing at Clara, who then turned to Evy for answer, the Time Lady nodding affirmative to her, making Clara roll her eyes.

"Listen to what?" Clara shook her head.

"Nothing," he started to smile, "There's nothing to hear. There's nothing anywhere. Not a breath, not a slither, not a click or a tick. All the clocks have stopped. This is the silence at the end of time."

"Save for the packing," Evy added when they heard a clatter behind them, Orson quickly making his way through the capsule to try and gather all his belongings.

"Then how did he get here?" Clara asked, "If he's only 100 years from my time."

"Guess," Evy turned to her, "See if you can work it out."

Clara frowned at that, really not wanting to waste more time when the Captain and Danny were off alone talking about god knew what, but she could tell the Time Lords wouldn't even start to speak if she didn't try, so she let out a breath and glanced around, taking in the architecture, the build of the shuttle, Orson's uniform, other little things. She moved over to the console of the capsule, a small control panel with a chair behind it, running her hand along it as she analyzed it, "Pioneer time traveler?" she guessed, looking at them, "Like Hila?"

"Exactly," Evy smiled, pulling out her sonic and flicking it at the controls, opening the databanks for the capsule, showing her footage of Orson's departure on Earth, "He was one of the first to test the great Time Shots. Sort of like a slingshot through time."

"This says he was supposed to only reach the middle of next week," Clara read the article that accompanied the footage quickly, surprised with how quickly she'd read it, "So what happened?"

"Whatever it was, he's been stranded here for 6 months now," Evy remarked.

"Was he lost?" Clara turned to them, "Was he defined as lost in time, like Hila was? Can we bring him back to his proper time?"

"We should be," Evy nodded, "Hila was from a more advanced group of pilots, they expected her to know what to do more so than Orson. And we found an article in the TARDIS that he DID make it to the middle of next week," she gave Clara a meaningful look, the girl nodding as she worked out just HOW the man had made it there when he'd been stranded here.

Clearly some other time travelers had helped him there.

"You can do it, then?" Orson walked over to them, slinging a pack on his back, "You can get me home?"

"We just showed you, didn't we?" the Doctor gestured at the TARDIS, "A test flight to a restaurant."

"Yes, but to my family, to my own time?"

"Easy. We can do that, can't we, Clara?"

"If Evy helps him pilot, yeah," Clara nodded.

"Oi!" the Doctor frowned, but didn't counter past that.

Orson frowned at that, eyeing Clara closer, "Do I know you?"

"No," Clara shook her head, though she answered rather quickly, "Nope."

"Is she doing the all eyes thing?" the Doctor called, having turned his back to them to look at the console and security records of the capsule, pausing when he read a strange mention in the records, "We can't leave immediately, though," he turned to them, "The TARDIS needs to recharge."

"Sorry," Clara blinked, "What?" the TARDIS should have been just fine…

"Overnight," the Doctor gave Evy a pleading look, "That should do it, shouldn't it?" Evy sighed, not seeming happy but nodded, "Clara?" he turned to her as well, not about to let her out of this.

"You can get men back to the same time you left me?" she looked at Evy for that one.

"Of course," Evy assured her, so Clara nodded.

But it was Orson who seemed to have an issue with it, "Overnight?"

"One more night," the Doctor promised, "That's, that's not a problem, is it?"

It was all too clear to them that it was a problem, but the man just shuffled his feet and looked down, "No. No, no problem."

"It's a shame, isn't it?"

"What's a shame?" Orson looked up at him.

"There's only five people left in the universe, and you're lying to three of them," the Doctor glanced at him, "It was the first thing Evy and I noticed when we stepped in here. You must have seen it, too, Clara. You've got eyes out to here."

Clara hesitated at that, she'd looked but there hadn't been anything out of the ordinary, for a time capsule, as far as she knew, "Seen what?"

"That door," Evy nodded towards the only door of the capsule, the one through which they could see the planet, with the wheel below it, "What do you notice about it?"

Clara eyed it, "Nothing," she shrugged, "It's just a locked door."

"And that's what's odd," Evy nodded.

"The universe is dead," the Doctor elaborated, "Everything that ever was is dead and gone. There's nothing beyond this door but nothingness for ever. So why is it locked?"

Clara blinked and turned to look at Orson for that, the Time Lords as well, wanting an explanation, but the man just grew anxious, "Please, don't make me spend another night here."

"Afraid of the dark?" the Doctor mused, "But the dark is empty now."

"No," Orson frowned, "No, it isn't."

"Well," Evy took a breath, "Thank god LJ's asleep," she looked at Clara, "If he were here, he'd want to know if he could have the 'thing in the dark' as a pet."

Clara cracked a small smile at that.

~8~

Evy looked back from observing the darkness outside the small porthole when she heard Clara stepping out of the TARDIS where they'd set Orson up. Just because they'd wanted to stay there, well, the Doctor had wanted to stay there, didn't mean they had to force the poor man to as well, "Everything alright Clara?" she asked, seeing Clara appeared deep in thought with a small frown on her face.

"What?" Clara glanced up at her, "Yeah," she nodded, "Everything's fine," she moved over to their side, looking at the window as well, "So what are we doing?"

"Waiting," the Doctor answered.

"For what? Or for who? If everybody in the universe is dead, then there's nobody out there."

"There used to be," Evy sighed, "The humans survived right to the bitter end, I wouldn't be surprised if the Toclafane are out there."

"The Toclafane?" Clara frowned, trying to think of where she'd heard that word before, "But that's just a story. That's just the boogey man…"

"Use your human memories, Clara," Evy glanced at her, "Can you remember a time, I suppose just after Harriet Jones was removed from office, where you heard that word?"

Clara scrunched her face, thinking of it, "Hold on…there was that Saxon bloke," she recalled, "He was on the telly, he had these…spheres with him, they called themselves the Toclafane, they killed the American President!"

Evy nodded, "Saxon was a Time Lord," she offered, "A bad one, he…he died," she swallowed hard, looking away, leaving it at that so as not to have to talk more about how she'd lost her brother so many times, "But he was out there," she nodded at the darkness, "He was on this planet for a long while, trying to help the humans. But then he came back and he helped turn them into those mad spheres."

"So they could be out there right now?!" Clara's eyes widened, "Shouldn't we get out of here then?!"

"We reconfigured the capsule's shield," the Doctor waved it off, "Keyed it into the perception filter of the TARDIS, it's invisible to them even if they are out there."

"Then what are we actually waiting for?" Clara shook her head, not following. Before the Doctor or Evy could answer, the lights began to dim around them, "Do you have your own mood lighting now? Because, frankly, the accent is enough," Clara remarked, stiffening when a creaking noise began to sound and something started to appear on the locked door 'Do Not Open The Door' in a glowing script, "Where did that come from?"

"Colonel Pink," Evy offered, "He wrote it there, but it only appears when the lights are lower."

"Why'd he write that?" Clara shook her head.

"Perhaps he needs a reminder," the Doctor suggested, "Six months stranded alone, I suppose it must be tempting."

"What is?"

"Company."

Clara looked up as more creaking sounded above them, almost as though there were something leaning on top of the capsule, "What's that?"

"It could be…a few things," Evy offered, "The systems turn off for the night to conserve power, so the change in temperature would cause the pipes and walls to creak. Or it could be the shoddy workmanship of the craft itself, I mean, it ended up flinging itself to the end of the universe, doesn't say much about its engineers. Or it could be rocks that have fallen on the shuttle over time shifting in what's left of the breeze. Or…"

"Thanks," Clara cut in, more reassured, "I got it."

"So," the Doctor glanced at her, "Dinner with our son?"

"What?" Clara glanced at him.

"You said before."

"Are you making conversation?"

"I thought that I would give it a try."

Clara shook her head at that, but smiled, "Yeah, dinner with the Cap'n, we're having drinks with Danny though. One of the other teachers at Coal Hill. We were just about to get drinks when…" she jumped as what sounded like a scream echoed through the capsule.

"Atmospheric pressure equalizing," Evy reassured her.

"Or…"

"Nothing," Evy stated at the same time the Doctor just HAD to add, "Company."

"Ok," Clara turned to them fully, serious now, "Why are we doing this? Why don't we just go?"

"Because I need to know," the Doctor huffed.

"Why? About what?"

"Suppose that there are creatures that live to hide. That only show themselves to the very young or the very old, or the mad…"

"Haven't seen one," Evy remarked offhandedly at that one, "Unless you count the Krafayis…"

"Or anyone who wouldn't be believed," the Doctor continued, both of them knowing that it was most certainly NOT a Krafayis.

"Ok…so?" Clara sighed.

"What would those creatures do when everyone was gone?" the Doctor gestured at the door, "When there was only one man left standing in the universe?"

Clara opened her mouth to answer, when there were three bangs that sounded, "What's that?"

"It could be the hull cooling down," Evy murmured, though the way she was starting to frown left Clara on edge.

"Could be?"

The Doctor slowly turned as three more bangs went off, "Someone knocking," and three more, "Yes, "And another three, followed by a scraping noise that repeated three times as well.

"You don't…" Clara winced as another set of three bangs went off, "You don't actually believe all this, do you? Hiding creatures, things from under the bed…" she looked over to the side, spinning around at three bangs and three scrapes behind her.

"What's that in the mirror, or the corner of your eye?" the Doctor began to recite, "What's that footstep following, but never passing by?"

Even though another set of bangs hit, Clara was more focused on giving the Doctor an unamused look, "Did we come to the end of the universe because of a nursery rhyme?" she froze though, when there was two sets of banging now…before the Doctor flicked his sonic out, unlocking the door…whose wheel then began to turn on its own, "That's you turning it, right?" Clara whispered to them.

"No," Evy shook her head, turning to Clara and taking her arm gently, "Go in the TARDIS."

"Why?" Clara frowned at her.

"Because I'm not going to risk you if this turns out to be something," Evy told her, guiding her to the TARDIS.  
"He's not going to stop is he?" Clara spoke quietly to Evy as she moved towards the box, glancing back to see the Doctor intently watching the door as the wheel moved more and more, "Evy," she stopped, turning to face the woman before the TARDIS doors, "What's going on? The door's turning, is something out there?"

"It's a pressure lock," Evy answered, not quite saying what Clara wanted to know, "When the Doctor released the lock, it could have made the opening mechanism trip."

"But a pressure lock only works if there's an atmosphere," Clara shook her head, "Is there even an atmosphere out there?"

"There's an air shell around the ship. It works like an atmosphere."

"So something's out there then?"

"I don't know Clara," Evy sighed, "I really don't. The Universe is vast and complicated and there may be things out there that would survive long past the end of time…"

"Then we should get him out of here!" Clara hissed, "Something like that could be dangerous!"

"And that is why YOU need to get into the TARDIS," Evy nudged her.

"Why!?"

"Because if anything happens to you, it will kill our son," Evy told her, "Now please, Clara, get in the TARDIS."

"Why does he have to do this?" Clara whispered, tears filling her eyes even as Evy pushed the doors to the box open, "Why can't he just leave it?"

"Because it's more than just needing to be right, Clara," Evy remarked, "This thing he thinks is always hidden where we can't see, he wants to know more about it. Because it could be a danger. It could be dangerous to everyone if he doesn't know more about it. It could be a danger to our son. THAT'S why he wants to know what it is, if it exists, because he doesn't want LJ in danger, ever, he wants to make the Universe safer for him. He doesn't want something like this, like that dream that everyone has, to affect our son, because it'll mean LJ's susceptible to it, to whatever it is that makes people dream it. And he wants to stop that," she glanced back at him, and then to Clara, "And I won't let him face it alone, so please, get in the TARDIS."

Clara was silent, but stepped into the box, "I'm going to be watching," she warned, "On the monitor, and if there's something dangerous, I'm GOING to help you."

Evy smiled at that, "Wouldn't expect anything less," she nodded.

Clara took a breath and stepped back to shut the doors.

Evy nodded her head and turned back to the Doctor, moving beside him and slipping her hand into his, "Ready for this?"

He let out a breath, "I hope," he mumbled, thinking aloud, "Perhaps they're all just waiting, perhaps when we're all dead, out they'll come a-slithering from underneath the bed."

"Well, we're about to find out," Evy murmured, the two of them glancing at each other and then the airlock as it opened.

Immediately the force of the vacuum began to pull at them, forcing them to grab onto the console for stability, trying to squint through the mess of objects flying past them and the sparks of the door as it was pulled off its hinges to see if there was something there. The Doctor would have had a better chance at making something out, Evy thought for a moment, her red hair was whipping around her, into her eyes, all around her, getting tangled with each blow, which was rather irritating and she should have put it up or tied it back before this, but it was far too late now. She really didn't have much time to think on that as the air was quickly leaving the room and the vacuum was getting more powerful…

The last thing either of them could recall before their world went black from lack of air and strain of the vacuum, was looking at each other.

Though the Doctor's very last thought was that he almost hoped they didn't survive this, because Evy would most certainly kill him.

~8~

The Doctor jerked awake with a gasp, taking only a moment to realize he was back in the TARDIS, that he wasn't in the capsule anymore, and that he was NOT in utter crippling pain that would come from a severed Link, before he rolled over, right off the armchair, and sprang up again, stumbling this way and that as he tried to look for Evy, needing to know she was alright.

"Eves!" he nearly fell down the small steps, "Evy!"

"She's fine!" Orson called popping up from behind the console and moving to the side, "She's fine, she's here…"

The Doctor's legs gave out as he made it around the console to see her resting on the ground, looking asleep, but he wasn't going to trust his eyes, not even would he trust the Link telling him she was ok till she woke up, "Evy," he scrambled over to her, "Evy, Evelyn!"

"Just Evy," Evy mumbled as her eyes slowly fluttered in her waking, "You can stop shaking me, Doctor…"

He let out a breath, picking her up and holding her tightly to him, "I'm sorry," he mumbled into her hair, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Now there's a phrase I haven't heard in a while," she murmured against him, before patting his chest, just over the middle of his hearts, "I'm fine, dear, I'm fine, and you're fine, and Clara's fine…"

"Clara!" the Doctor pulled away, his mind catching up to him, reminding him of one person he hadn't seen lurking about the TARDIS when he'd woken, "Clara!"

"What happened?" Orson looked down at them, "What did you see? What's out there?"

But the Doctor just ignored him, reaching out to grab Orson by the front of his spacesuit, "Clara, where's Clara!?"

They looked over when they heard the doors shut to see Clara enter, standing before the doors with her hands behind her back, "What if there was nothing?" she spoke quickly, not letting either Time Lord get a word in, "What if there never was anything? Nothing under the bed, nothing at the door. What if the big bad Time Lord doesn't want to admit he's just afraid of the dark?"

Evy eyed her oddly, she was smiling softly, almost in nostalgia, "Clara where are we?" she looked at the console as the box hummed, unable to speak with Orson there, "We're not where we were…" she could tell that by the lack of sound coming from outside the box, the sound of the capsule being torn apart or the banging on the walls, "But where did we go?"

Clara shook her head, "Don't look where we are," she stepped away from the door and made her way over to them, sitting on the steps to look at the two as they hadn't gotten off the floor yet, "Just…take off, and promise me you will never look where we've been."

"Why?" the Doctor frowned.

"Just take off. Don't ask questions."

"I don't take orders, Clara."

"Doctor?" Evy asked, a hint of amusement in her voice at that.

"I don't take orders from you, Clara," the Doctor amended, unable to help the small smile at how Evy laughed behind him.

"Oh do as you're told young man," Clara gave him a smile.

The Doctor looked back at Evy, smiling softly at him, and sighed, nodding his head. He could…give this one up, he could. Because he'd been so obsessed with finding out what was out there, IF there was something out there, that he'd nearly put his Link in danger, he'd nearly left his son without a father. It was just…after Christmas, with all that constant fighting and death and battle going on, he almost couldn't turn it off, the need to fight back, the need to defend. He wanted the world to be the safest place for his son, but it was impossible to do and yet he kept trying. It was like he couldn't leave that war behind anymore than he could leave the Last Great Time War behind. It was always going to haunt him, but he needed to do what he had with that time of his life, focus on the future, focus on what his future held and live for that. It had been Evy, after the Time War, he'd lived and fought for her, fought to let go of the past so he could give all of himself to her. Now…now it was his son, he had to let go of what happened on Christmas and heal and be a whole father for his son, not just a mad Time Lord trying to fix a world that couldn't be fixed by just one person.

"Alright," he breathed, nodding, smiling more when Evy leaned in and gave him a kiss of comfort and strength, letting him rest his forehead to hers, "Alright."

~8~

Clara stepped out of the TARDIS and into the pub kitchen, breathing out a sigh of relief but also trying to stifle a yawn at the same time. It had been…tiring. Very, very tiring just now. She and Orson had been watching from the monitor, saw nothing at all in the capsule when the door opened, but she had freaked out quite severely when the Time Lords nearly got sucked out, the Cloister Bells going off on alert. Orson had, thankfully, managed to go out there in his spacesuit and grab the Doctor, who had still been holding Evy's hand and pull them into the TARDIS. She'd rushed to the console and started to pilot the box, before getting too frustrated and just sticking her fingers into the telepathic circuit to pilot the box away, just thinking that she needed to get them somewhere safe…

She was sure it had gotten mixed up though, because she'd ended up landing on Gallifrey, and while it WAS safe, at least at that point in the timeline, it appeared to be the same time when the Doctor himself was having the nightmare of something grabbing him under the bed. He'd just been a little boy, lying in a barn, crying because he was scared of the dark. She'd had to hide under his bed to avoid being found by two other Time Lords…and ended up grabbing his ankle, likely sparking the dream for him, and turning into Evy's brother as well as apparently the man had done much the same to Evy, literally hidden under the bed to freak her out. She'd tried to soothe the boy though, calm him down, told him what the Doctor had told Rupert about fear being a superpower, reassuring him enough to fall asleep.

Now though, now SHE wanted to sleep, and that was terrible, because the drinks with Danny and the Captain had only started about…five minutes ago in non-TARDIS time, and she was ready to keel over. She made her way to the pub counter, ordered the drinks quickly and hurried over to the table…unable to stifle her yawn as she passed them out, making the men laugh.

"Bit tired there, Clar?" the Captain gave her an understanding look.

"Ooh…" she tried to stop the yawn, "Sorry," she gave them an apologetic smile, "Busy week…"

"We…we can meet up another time," Danny offered, frowning at Clara in concern, she looked like she was about to nod off right then and there, which made him wonder how he hadn't noticed it before, "I'm not usually busy," he looked between them, "Whenever you two want to…to meet up for drinks, just let me know."

"Yeah, alright," the Captain nodded, "It was really good to meet you Mr. Pink," he held out a hand to Danny.

"You as well, Captain Smith," he joked back, shaking the Captain's hand.

"Come on you," the Captain turned to Clara, putting an arm around her as he helped her up, Clara offering Danny a tired wave before he led her out of the pub and towards an alley next to it where he'd parked his own TARDIS, "Mum and Dad put you through the wringer hmm?"

"Urg," she moaned, "An overnight stay in a time capsule, we were there for HOURS before we were finally able to leave."

"Didn't think to take a nap?" he teased.

"Couldn't," she yawned again, "Doctor picked up a stray."

"Oh?" the Captain frowned at that, trying to think about that particular trip, "Who?"

"Orson Pink," Clara mumbled, "One of Danny's…" she yawned again, "Descendants, I think. A pioneer Time Traveler."

"Huh," he murmured at that.

"He um," Clara swallowed a bit, suddenly sounding a little more alert, "He said that it ran in his family. That one of his grandparents, er, great-grandparents was involved in it…" she glanced at the Captain, opening her mouth but closing it, not quite sure how to ask what she was fearing, not quite sure she even wanted to think about the implications the Doctor had made about why her timeline had latched onto Danny's.

But the Captain just smiled, "I'm in your head Clar," he lightly poked her forehead, "I know what's bothering you."

"So what do you think?" she frowned, biting her lip as they came to a stop before his TARDIS.

"Dad misses the point, a lot, in this incarnation," he shrugged, "Always listen to mum, that's what I've learned," he laughed, "Mum was right, it was just an off trip. Coming across Rupert and then Orson, it's not because Danny's timeline is tied to yours, it's genuinely because you were distracted and thought about him when he called you. It's nothing Clar," he reached out to take her hands, "Would you be worried if I did the same thing and we ended up in River's timeline?"

"No, of course not," Clara shook her head, "She's your best friend."

He gave her a smile for that, "There's nothing to say that you and Danny won't become as good of friends as River and I. There's nothing to stop you or mum or dad asking him to travel with you lot one day. Maybe THAT's the grandparent he meant, maybe there'll come a day where you'll tell Danny about the time travel…"

Clara's eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Is that what's going to happen?"

He chuckled, "The future's not always set in stone Clar. Things have…there are some things I _think_ happened, but seeing it from NOW they happened differently. There are some things in my memory that are going to shift and change as time goes on. It's like…" he tried to find the words, rocking back on his heels a bit, "It's like, when time is rewritten, so are our memories. And it happens every day, it makes us think that our memories are bad but really it's just them shifting to adapt to the changes of the past. I can't be certain what the future will hold even though I've lived it from Mini-Me's point of view. Whatever happens Clar, I trust you, just like you trust me, and I think…I think Mr. Daniel Pink would be a fine friend to have, he's a good man."

Clara smiled, "Thank you," she told him, sincere.

"For what?" the tilted his head, just like his baby self did, making her laugh.

"For trusting me," she squeezed his hands, "Most men, most women too, would be jealous or uncomfortable with their…" she couldn't really find the word, "Significant other?" she shrugged, it was good enough, "Being friends with someone like that."

"Well, I'm not most men," he grinned, "Probably not even most Time Lords either."

She laughed, "I'll sa…" she was cut off again by another yawn.

He laughed at that, "Come on," he put his arm around her, opening his TARDIS doors, "Let's get you up to bed for some well deserved rest. You can stay here the night, sleep as long as you need, and I can pop you back wherever you need to go in the morning."

"You don't have to," she shook her head, "You can drop me home or…"

"Clar," he looked at her, "I…I always get nervous when you're on adventures without me, I just…want to make sure you're ok," he smiled at her, "Let me take care of you?"

She smiled, "I'd like that."

"Good," he nodded, turning them to head through his console room, "'Cos I always will."

Clara leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder, she liked that thought, very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can say there's a tiny bit more to Danny and the role he may or may not have in Clara's life in the future than we see here, but that'll be up to J to reveal or not ;) I have to say, I'm also really excited for Time Heist too :)
> 
> Next chapter...familiar faces pop up, the Teller is NOT a pet(!), Evy just might go 'gangster' for a bit if someone gets their way ;)


	9. Time Heist (Part 1)

"The Satanic Nebula!" the Doctor called as he stood in Clara's sitting room, watching her washing machine going round and round, much to the amusement of Evy who was cutting up apple slices for LJ in Clara's kitchen, the woman in question sitting at her kitchen table with a puzzle out that she and LJ were working on, "Or the lagoon of lost stars. Or we could go to Brighton. I've got a whole day worked out…"

"Sorry, Doctor," Clara shook her head, "But I've actually got plans."

"What plans could you have dressed like that?" he popped his head into the kitchen doorway, looking at Clara as she sat there in pajama bottoms and a big fluffy robe, her hair up in a messy bun.

Clara gave him an unamused look, "I DO intend to get dressed, you know," she remarked.

"Plans for what?" Evy glanced over at her, "Better make it good," she set the plate of apple slices down before her son who immediately reached for them, "Otherwise he'll come up with some way to make it sound so boring that even playing chess with him would sound entertaining."

Clara laughed at that as the Doctor narrowed his eyes in a mock-glare…when a phone rang behind him. He straightened at that before he leaned back into the sitting room where the TARDIS was parked, the phone behind the instruction panel ringing.

"Doctor?" Evy moved into the room, looking at him and then at the panel.

"Hardly anyone in the universe has that number," the Doctor mumbled.

"I've got it," Clara remarked as she joined them, half looking at them in the doorway, half watching LJ as he sat on her table, munching on his apples.

"Yes, from some woman in a shop," the Doctor glanced at her, "We still don't know who that was."

"What did she look like?" Evy glanced at Clara.

"I dunno," she shrugged, "Blonde?"

"River?"

"No," Clara shook her head, "No, not River," she glanced at the box, "Is that her now?"

"Who, River?"

"The woman from the shop."

"Well, there are very few people that it could be," the Doctor nodded to himself as he moved towards it, "More than a few blondes among them," he hesitated before he reached out to answer the phone, popping open the panel.

"Don't," Clara called.

"Why not?"

"Because, if you answer it, something will happen."

"What?" he glanced at her.

"She IS right," Evy nodded, "Things do tend to happen whenever you get involved. It's like your unlucky black suit," she smiled, thinking of that incarnation of him and how often bad things happened while he wore it.

"I do believe there was mention that it wasn't the suit, it was just me," he countered, "And nothing's going to happen," he promised, "It's just a phone. Nothing happens when you answer the phone."

The two Time Ladies exchanged a look at that before turning to watch as the Doctor reached behind the panel and picked up the phone, moving it to his ear…

~8~

…and the next thing they knew, the three of them were sitting around a round table, in the middle of a dark warehouse, holding small white worms in their hands which they quickly threw away from them with small screams, before they caught sight of something else…

Two very familiar people sitting across from them.

"Cap'n?" Clara blinked.

"River," Evy smiled as she saw the two throwing their worms away as well.

Clara immediately looked down at her mother's ring on her finger and breathed out both a confused and relieved sigh to see that her Perception Filter was working. It always was around LJ, but it was on a higher setting now that J appeared to be there, for it WAS J now and not the Captain, this was…this was not her Link, not really, for him to be travelling with River meant that he was at a point in his timeline before he lost River, before he found HER as his Link. She swallowed hard at that, not quite sure how to handle this situation. She…she hadn't been around an un-Linked J yet.

"Hello mum," J smiled at his mother, his grin and posture relaxed and casual despite the worm he'd been holding, "Dad."

River, however, was less pleased, "Was that a Memory Worm!?" she huffed, "Hate them."

J just chuckled at that, his gaze drifting over to her, "Hello Clar," he smiled.

Clara opened her mouth to repeat her greeting when her eyes flew impossibly wide and she looked down at herself, completely mortified to be in front of him in her pajamas…only to see that she had apparently changed her clothes between when the Doctor answered the phone and now. She was wearing slim black trousers and a white shirt, with a fitted black jacket and a loose black tie…and heels. Why was she wearing heels? They were utterly ridiculous to wear in the middle of what was likely an adventure. She glanced around to see that the Doctor was wearing his typical attire, as was Evy…though there appeared to be a black fedora resting on the table in front of her and there was only one person she could think of that would insist she wear it, and that was J. She glanced at the man, he and River were casually dressed, but in rather dark clothes, J in a grey jumper that had a sort of hood to it with a black leather jacket over it and River in a long sleeved black shirt, her hair up in a ponytail of curls. And LJ…she blinked, realizing something.

"Where's LJ?" she turned to Evy and the Doctor.

"Safe," Evy breathed, "He's safe."

"But how do you know?" Clara shook her head, "Cos, I don't know about any of you, but I don't remember anything from when the Doctor picked up the phone and…"

"Cos of this," Evy slid her a paper that she'd found clutched in her hands, "He's with Sarah Jane."

Clara reached out and picked it up, breathing a relieved breath to see LJ with an older woman that was dressed similarly to Evy but with straight brown hair, holding the boy as he held his little plate of apples, munching on them with a grin, wearing the same outfit he'd been the last time they'd seen him.

"Ok," she nodded, "But how…" she shook her head, "Hold on, did you say Memory Worm?" she looked at River.

River nodded with a grimace, "It deletes your memories."

"Well, yeah, I sort of worked that out from the name," Clara remarked, well, that and she had a distinct memory popping up in her head of Strax trying to find a Memory Worm in Victorian London and failing...abysmally.

"Brilliant," J smiled at her, blushing and looking away the moment she turned her gaze on him. He cleared his throat, "I…I mean the situation?" he tried to cover though none of them believed it, the women throwing small smiles at Clara's direction, though the Doctor DID seem to fall for it.

"It is, isn't it?" the man grinned.

"As brilliant as it may be," Evy cut in, shaking her head in amusement at her son and Link and their fondness for situations like this, "I'd rather like to know how we got here."

"Well then, let's find out shall we?" River smirked, reaching forward, towards a metal case resting on the middle of the table, just before she could open it though, the Doctor's voice began to sound from a speaker that had been next to the case, a recording.

"I am the Doctor, a Time Lord from Gallifrey. I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will."

"I am Evy, a Time Lady from Gallifrey, and I have agreed to do this wipe of my free will too."

"I am Clara Oswald, er…human," Clara's voice spoke as well, though only River seemed to glance at her for the hesitation in identifying herself, "I have agreed to this memory wipe of my own free will. Do I really have to touch that worm thing?"

J's voice laughed over the recording, "Yeah, sorry Clar. I am Captain J. Smith, Time Lord too, and yup, agreed to this wipe and all that nonsense."

"Really J," River's voice huffed though the woman herself wasn't talking, "Couldn't even be serious for all of 10 seconds?"

"Oh of course not Riv," J's recording laughed.

The River on the recording sighed, "I'm River Song, human-Time Lord hybrid, and yes, I agree to this Memory Wipe of my own free will."

The moment that the recordings ceased the case that River had been reaching for popped open with a click of the lock unlatching. A gentle yellow light began to illuminate from within as a small set of screens rose out of the case, folded in half so that both sides of the table could see what was going on. Not that there was much to see at first, merely a yellow K inside a circle that was spinning around before it faded to a shadowy figure in a cloak of some sort. Still it wasn't much to see, nothing that allowed them to make out any details about the man, or woman, that was sitting before them, not even his, or her, voice was recognizable given the electronic manipulation put to the voice that came out of the speakers after.

"This is a recorded message," the mysterious figure began, Evy looked up, almost amused to see how serious River, J, and the Doctor had become at the sound of the mystery person's voice. At least she could be relieved about that, that her son knew when to be serious and when to be playful, "I am the Architect. Your last memory is of receiving a contact from an unknown agency. Me. Everything since has been erased from your minds. Now, pay close attention to this briefing."

' _Do you remember anything?_ ' Evy heard the Doctor's voice in her head as the image began to fade into an image of a rather large building that seemed to make up an entire planet.

She glanced at the Doctor a moment and shook her head, ' _My mind might have been altered by the Mason Institute, but not even I am immune to the Memory Worm's affects._ '

The Doctor gave a short nod to that, he knew that he should have expected something like that, but his Link was known for doing the Impossible, she was his own Impossible Girl, the first Impossible Girl, he wouldn't have put it past her to find some way to remember even with the Memory Worm's affects. Still, he had to be sure.

"This is the Bank of Karabraxos," the recording continued, "The most secure bank in the galaxy. A fortress for the super-rich. If you can afford your own star system, this is where you keep it. No one sets foot on the planet without protocols. All movement is monitored, all air consumption regulated. DNA is authenticated at every stage," the image cut to what appeared to be a security recording of a couple approaching a tube sticking out of a wall, a woman breathing into the red light of it…but when it remained red, nozzles shot out of the wall and blasted a stream of fire at her, incinerating her, "Intruders will be incinerated."

"Never would have guessed that," J muttered, shifting in his seat at the image, his expression growing even more grim and serious.

That was something all of them had in common, Evy knew, none of those sitting at the table agreed with needless death, especially one as painful and lasting as incineration of such a sort.

"If they do that to the intruders, I don't want to know what they do to employees or customers that default payments," Clara mumbled.

"Well," River murmured, "I'd say they…fire…employees."

J rolled his eyes at River, nudging her with his elbow while she smirked at her little joke, "Ha ha, Riv, funny."

"It is actually," the Doctor agreed, "Clever word play."

"Thank you," River smiled, giving him a small nod of her head, "I learned from the best."

"Well..." he grinned.

River's smirk widened, "Yes, thanks Evy."

"Oi!" the Doctor frowned at that, "I'M clever too!"

"Of course you are," Evy patted his arm with a soft chuckle, "But I think we should focus on the recording?"

Luckily for them, the footage had only cut to a few more examples of what the Bank looked like from the inside, the images following an oriental couple as they appeared to be making a deposit in a drawer of a small ornate room.

"Each vault, buried deep in the earth, is accessed by a drop-slot at the planet's surface," the Architect spoke, "It's atomically sealed, an unbreakable lock. The atoms have all been scrambled. Your presence on this planet is unauthorized. A team will have been dispatched to terminate you."

The small group of five looked back, towards a door that they noticed was barricaded, when a thumping noise sounded.

"Thanks for the warning," Evy muttered, hearing what could only be a guard on the other side shouting for them to open up as Bank Security had caught up to them.

"Your survival depends on following my instructions," the Architect's voice pulled their attention back, "All the information you need is in this case."

River glanced at J, the two of them sharing a nod before River reached out and pulled a sort of handheld device out of her pocket, yanking a wire from it to plug into the case.

"Downloading?" Clara guessed, watching the woman work, River nodded.

"There's an exit to the back," J added, nodding over Clara's shoulder at a door in his line of view, "As soon as we get the information, we should head out," he looked to his parents for confirmation.

"Who's calling the shots here boyo?" the Doctor asked, though there was no bite or harshness in his voice but more of a pride that his little boy was ready to help rob a bank…actually, that was exactly what was in his voice, nothing but pride at the intergalactic felony his son was about to commit…which had Evy rolling her eyes and shaking her head at him though in a fond manner, if she was just a little bit proud of her son as well…well, it was her regeneration's fault as she was sure not many of her previous incarnations would have felt quite that way.

It was funny, she took a moment to consider, just how much of what her son and Link's antics amused her now when she knew that she'd have been livid before. She didn't know why she felt ore easy going in this body than before, but she liked to think it was because of how close she had come to losing her son and losing her Link before. J had nearly died due to Simeon's interference in the timelines, she had nearly lost him, and then so soon after that she had nearly lost the Doctor on Christmas. She just…it was different this time than the ones before. The Doctor had been in many a situation where he'd nearly died, where he'd truly died and regenerated. But the last time, it should have been the final time, he shouldn't have come back and that sort of finality was harder to handle, to think that she'd lose the Doctor that way. The same could be said for her son, she and the Doctor had sworn to protect him from everything as best as they could and LJ was safe, often the safest of them all, but J…he was older, he was out there on his own, there was less chance to protect him and more trust they had to put in him that he'd be ok in the end. And then, for him to be with them, and for him to come so close to never having been born, to be in that much pain not just from his near death but from feeling his Link die? Well, it had changed her. Right now she just wanted to spend as much time with her Link and son as possible, she didn't want to reprimand them or yell, there was no point to get that irate or upset over such small matters (and how odd it was that the idea of robbing the most secure bank in all the universe was considered a 'small matter' to her) when she could just go with it and have fun. She'd rather be there and watch out for them than to be angry all the time.

As had been said many times before, anger was the shortest distance to a mistake, and she wouldn't be able to live with herself if one of her mistakes cost her Link or child their life or a regeneration or harmed them.

"The Bank of Karabraxos is impregnable," the Architect spoke, causing the Doctor to snort, if he had a coin for every time he'd heard something was impregnable only for him to find a way in later. He looked over at Evy as she reached into the case and pulled out what appeared to be a device the size of a mobile phone, "The Bank of Karabraxos has never been breached. You will rob the Bank of Karabraxos."

"Ok," J leapt to his feet the moment that the glass of the windows near the barred doors shattered, the security nearly making their way in, "Time to go," he reached out and, without even realizing what he was doing, took Clara's hand and pulled her towards the door he'd seen behind her, looking back only a moment to make sure that River and his parents were following before he focused on getting them out, pulling a sonic from his pocket to get them through the lock on the door.

Evy shook her head as she shared a glance with an amused River at how J had immediately jumped to Clara and ensured she was getting out first. They both understood why though, J, as far as he knew, thought Clara was human right now. He would want to make sure she was protected and safe before checking on the rest of them, the rest were, after all, Time Lords. Not that Clara wasn't now, but J didn't know that. It was sweet in a way, and very obvious to the three of them as they followed J out into a corridor that the boy was rather crushing on Miss Oswald.

They didn't stop running till they'd gotten quite a ways down the hall, the sound of the security behind them falling quieter and quieter the farther they got.

"Doing ok, Doctor?" Evy asked, glancing at her Link as the Doctor seemed just a mite out of breath as they slowed.

"Fine, fine," he nodded, "Ok!" he shouted ahead at J and Clara, "Stop, stop, stop. Far enough."

J laughed as he spun around with Clara, his hand absently falling to the small of her back, making Clara blush slightly, not seeming to know what to do with herself though J hardly noticed, "Guess that means you're calling the shots then dad?"

The Doctor had only just started to grin, when River let out a loud laugh, "Him? Calling the shots? HIM?" she chuckled more, "I'd say more your mum J."

The Doctor turned to her, pointing at her like he was about to argue, before he just sighed and nodded, "True enough."

Evy grinned at that, "Thank you, Doctor, but I'd much rather be the backup commander. Get us out of your messes and flubbed plots and all."

"I do not flub my plots all that much," he defended.

"Sure you don't."

"Ok," Clara cut in, "Shall I be in charge then?"

"How about Riv?" J supplied, "She's broken into a fair few places, broken out of Stormcage…"

"All with your help J," River reminded him.

"Fine, then, democracy," Evy countered, "We all supply ideas and vote on it, yeah? Is that good, cos I'd really like to get back to my son."

J pouted at that, "Right here mum, thanks."

"You know what I meant," she rolled her eyes at him, "My baby."

"Oh, so I'm not your baby anymore?" J teased.

"You certainly act like one enough," River grumbled.

"Oi!"

River just shook her head at that, "Democracy," she agreed.

"And me," Clara nodded, J and the Doctor agreeing with her.

"Right, pool our supplies then?" the Doctor looked at River and Evy who had both taken something from the case the Architect had provided them.

"Well, sonics for one," J offered, "Four of them," he gestured at himself, River, and the adult Time Lords.

Clara pouted at that, she really needed to get herself one of those one day.

That or steal one of the Cap'n's when he wasn't looking and make him think he lost it.

"Schematics of the bank," River wiggled her handheld.

"And…breath container?" Evy frowned at the small device in her hand. It was like a small box with a tiny tube sticking out of the top of it, almost, she'd have said, like a juice box but made of more firm metal, "Oh," she nodded after a moment, understanding what it was for, "DNA."

"From a customer, maybe?" the Doctor guessed, nodding as he considered that, "Could help us get in."

"Wait," Clara shook her head, "We're actually going to do it? Rob the bank?"

"I don't think we have a choice. We've already agreed to."

Clara frowned and looked at J, "Do we?"

"Do we what?" he asked.

"Rob the bank?"

"I dunno."

"How do you not know, you've lived through it already haven't you? As your baby-self?"

J shrugged, "Not this time, Mini-Me's not here is he?" he started to grin widely at the thought, "Oh this is Christmas! Do you know how many adventures I DON'T know what's happening next in? I can tell you, not a lot. But this one, ooh," he reached out to take the small breath container from his mother, tossing it in his hand to catch it again, "This is going to be brilliant! Finally an adventure that I can be surprised during."

Clara gave him an amused look but just shook her head, it seemed they really were going to rob the bank, and it would only half be because the Architect was forcing their hand.

She was fairly certain that the Time Lords would go through with it just because J would be ecstatic to do it.

They really did spoil their son rotten didn't they?

Well, she wasn't much better, anything to see him smile.

~8~

The small trio of Time Lords, one human-Time Lord Hybrid, and one human-turned-Time Lord strode through the doors of the so-called impregnable Bank with purpose, River in the lead, having checked the directions on the handheld device she'd downloaded the information onto. The inside of the bank was wide and spacious, with massive walls that were so high that the glass on the ceiling that let the light in nearly appeared nonexistent it was so far away.

"Question one," the Doctor mumbled to them, keeping his voice low as they passed a few other clients of the bank, "Robbing banks is easy if you've got a TARDIS. So why are we not using it?"

"Could be any reason," J shrugged, "Could have shields that fry the circuits. Could have been held as bait for us to finish. Could have lost ours…"

"Which brings up question two," Clara nodded, "Where IS the TARDIS?"

That made the Time Lords and River stop walking, causing Clara to continue on a step or two before turning back to them. She could tell from their expression that all four were only JUST realizing that they'd lost both their TARDISes.

"That…should have been question one," was all even Evy could say about that.

"What are you smiling about?" River frowned at J, "YOUR TARDIS is missing too."

"Yeah," he nodded, "But MY TARDIS doesn't have a talking chip in it, does it?" he laughed, "Their TARDIS is gonna be really cross with them when she finds out they forgot about her for a mo."

The Doctor winced at that, that was very, very true.

But before any of them could remark on that an alarm started to blare above them as thick metal doors slammed shut around all the exits while a recorded voice began to speak, "Banking floor locking down."

River frowned at that and glanced at the Doctor and Evy, "Do you think they know we're here?"

"WE didn't even know we were here," Evy shook her head, feeling confident that, whatever was happening, had nothing to do with them. True, security had come for them in the warehouse or wherever they'd become conscious, but they hadn't gotten a look at them and, if they had, they would have been arrested at the doors and not made it so far in to just before the deposit rooms from the footage they'd watched.

They looked over as one set of doors opened, allowing a tall, pale woman with dark red hair to enter the room, walking towards the small group…but bypassing them to continue to a male customer. However it wasn't the woman that they continued to watch as she passed but what followed her into the room. Behind her was a large alien with two-toed feet, chained up heavily and dressed in a thick orange prison suit and straight jacket. It was gray skinned, its eyes attached to what looked like antennas on its head. It was all too clear to the small group of aliens that this particular one was a prisoner given how it was escorted by armed guards and chained up, a thick collar wrapped around its neck with a chain on it. And that did not sit well with them at all.

"What is that?" Clara frowned as she eyed the alien, searching the lives in her head as much as she could to see if any of them had had an encounter with an alien such as that before. She winced and shook her head within only moments as a migraine began to set in as a result of her sifting.

J stepped closer to her without even seeming to realize, "Dunno," he murmured, frowning as the creature was half shoved after the woman.

"Hate that," River huffed, "Not knowing."

"I know that feeling," the Doctor agreed.

Evy was silent, just watching the alien in sorrow, already promising herself that she would look into the matter and see, if the alien was docile or at least non-hostile or not a danger, that the alien was released.

…and then she would have to hope that it happened before they got LJ back or while the boy was sleeping lest he ask for the creature as a pet.

They fell quiet as the woman stopped before a black man, well dressed, clean shaven, looking very prim and proper, "Excuse me, sir. I regret to say that your guilt has been detected."

"What?" the man started to chuckle, "That…that's totally ridiculous."

The woman hummed, as though she'd heard something amusing, "Is it, sir? Well then, we will certainly double-check. The Teller will now scan your thoughts for any criminal intent. Good luck, sir," she gestured to the alien behind her and stepped away.

The man frowned but slowly lowered his briefcase that he'd been holding, facing the alien, the Teller, with dignity.

"That's…unusual," Evy remarked quietly.

"What is?" Clara glanced at her.

"That alien is telepathic," she answered, her face scrunching just slightly as the alien closed its eyes and seemed to be concentrating on the man before it, she could sense its thoughts, or at least the feel of what it was directing its thoughts at. Time Lords could read minds if they wished, with practice, project them even, she had always been a bit better at it than the Doctor and, it seemed, given how J wasn't reacting at all to the onslaught of psychic energy, her son, but right now she could sense it more, as though the alien were shouting it, "It's homing in on the man's guilt."

Clara frowned as a high pitched sound began to emit from the alien, growing louder and louder, so much so that they could almost see the air around its head displacing and wafting out towards the man who was now clutching his head in pain.

"Hopefully it won't sense our guilt," River mumbled.

"I don't think it will," Evy agreed, "Right now it's too focused on that man."

"What's he doing?" Clara tilted her head, watching as the man closed his eyes and scrunched his face in concentration.

"If he has a plan, he's trying not to think of it," the Doctor answered.

J snorted at that, "That'll never work," he shook his head, "Can't tell the number of times I tried not to think of a plan and had mum…" he trailed off, glancing at his mother who had given him an expectant look to finish what he was saying and so he quickly looked away, falling silent, not about to tell her exactly how many little plans he came up with over his life that she had sniffed out because he'd gotten so excited he'd started mentally broadcasting them so loudly that she'd picked them up and put a stop to them before they could even begin.

She didn't need to know just how much gray he had put into her hair over the course of his life.

The ginger woman let out a happy sigh as the creature roared, "Ah, criminal intent detected. How naughty," she stepped up to the man as the two guards tugged at the Teller, drawing him back from the man, "What was your plan? Counterfeit currency in your briefcase, perhaps?" she eyed the case on the floor beside the man.

"No," he grunted, trying to stand straighter though everyone could see him shaking, "Not at all. For God's sake."

"It doesn't really matter," the woman shrugged with a sigh, "We'll establish the details later. The Teller is never wrong when it comes to guilt. Your account will now be deleted, and obviously your mind," she turned, smirking at the Teller as she did so, "Suppertime," she cheered at the creature, stepping further to the side to allow the armored guards to slacken their hold just enough for the creature to step closer to the weary man.

The small group of aliens watched in alarm as the Teller's eyes turned towards the man, the two antennae coming together and creating a pulsing energy, far worse than when it had merely been reading the man's mind before. The wafting air directed at the man was much more visible, and seemed to be causing the man a terrible amount of pain as he began to scream.

"What's it doing?" Clara gasped.

"It's wiping his mind," Evy frowned.

"Turning his brain into soup," the Doctor added.

It was quite alarming to see that the ginger woman was not at all affected by what was happening before her, she was just standing there and smiling even as the man screamed in utter agony, "Your next of kin will be informed, and incarcerated, as further inducement to honest financial transactions."

"We've got to help him!" Clara cried, starting forward.

But J reached out and grabbed her arm gently, "We can't Clar," he murmured to her, "He's already gone."

"But he's in agony, look at him!" she gestured to the tears running down the man's cheeks.

"Clara," River shook her head gently, moving to Clara's side as well, willing to help J restrain her if need be, "That…it's not tears. That's his…well…his brain," she tried to be gentle about it. Still, it was hard to say something like that without affecting someone, which was why she wasn't surprised when Clara turned into J's arms and let him hug her so she wouldn't have to watch.

She…knew things about Clara, had ever since J (no, the Captain) had come to see her at her graduation from Luna University. She knew Clara was different than a human now, but she also knew that there were some things that Clara wasn't used to seeing. There were some things that she and J could handle seeing, due to their many adventures, that would cause the Doctor and Evy heartache if they knew about it. Seeing something like this wouldn't be something Clara would want to see, nor was it anything any version of J would want to force her to endure.

River looked over, her thoughts pulled away by the man falling to the ground, his screams suddenly falling silent. The Teller's antennae had separated only moments before, the creature catching the man as he fell, unfortunately the angle of it revealed clearly to the five of them that the man's head had caved in, as though he'd been lobotomized.

"Account closed," the ginger woman smirked, sounding almost as though she were brushing her hands in a job well done without actually moving, "Take him away. He's ready for his close-up," she moved to the side to face the gathered clients, all of whom looked more than a bit ill at what they'd just witnessed, allowing one of the guards to drag the man away, before she pulled out a small microphone to speak into, her voice echoing above them from the speakers, "Apologies for the disturbance. Everyone have a lovely day."

"She's completely barmy," J muttered, frowning at the woman who just turned her back and strode out of the room with the same purpose as she'd entered.

"We'll deal with her later," Evy promised, "But right now we need to deal with the Architect's plan, and quickly."

The Doctor nodded, placing his hand behind Evy's back to lead them off, guiding the five of them towards the sliding double doors that would open to the deposit room, the large ornate room that they'd seen in the footage earlier. It would have looked quite a bit like a normal room if it hadn't been for the computer monitor fixed into the wall.

"Deposit booth locking," an announcement called as the doors shut behind them, "Please exhale. Your valuables will be transported up from the vault."

J grinned and walked over to the tube sticking out of the wall, pulling the breath container from his pocket and turning it upside down over the tube. He pressed a button on the side of it and a soft puff of air shot out from the box and into the tube. Clara nearly held her breath as they waited, her eyes locked on the red glow of the tube, sighing with relief when it turned green.

She frowned and looked at Evy and the Doctor when she saw they hadn't appeared worried at all, but more confident in their son. She wished she could feel the same. It was different when it was J and not the Captain, the Captain was her Link, she knew HIM. And even though J was technically the Captain, he wasn't quite THERE yet, she didn't know this version of him, River did. She didn't know how he thought or what he'd do or anything. Well, that wasn't quite true, she did know him, through the Link she knew him, but it was different than being able to GET to know him. And, half the time, her own memories and the various lives in her head sort of made it too crowded to really be able to tap into that Link with him. She shook her head, now was not the time to have doubts.

Evy had to smile as she saw Clara's expression, she'd experienced the same thing at one time or another. The early years with the Doctor in her head, constantly fretting about whether he actually knew what he was doing or not (more often than not he had not a clue), the times of not knowing if the slim plan he HAD come up with would work (even less than when he had a clue), and just fearing for him in general (like when her brother got involved). It would take time, she knew, for Clara to get used to this, to dealing with an unLinked J. SHE had had the luck of growing with her Link, of experiencing the Doctor's life as he was living it, Clara had a bit harder of a time with J popping up in different versions and the Captain waiting for her at home and LJ being so young. But it just made her feel that Clara would truly be a good match for her son, if she could handle him at nearly every point in his life, then she deserved him.

"I don't get it," J's voice cut into her thoughts as a drawer opened before them with another case inside, something that had been planted in the bank before they'd gotten there, "If he can break in here and plant this thing, then why does he need our help?"

"That's something I'd like to ask him myself," River murmured.

"It also depends what the thing is," the Doctor added, reaching down to open the case, only for Evy to stop him, giving him a look before she pulled out her sonic to scan the case, making sure it wasn't a bomb or any sort of trap. When she nodded that it was safe, he opened the case, "Ok," he nodded, pulling a device out of the case, "Well, I'm no expert, but fuses, timer. I'm going to stick my neck out and say bomb."

"Close," Evy remarked, eyeing her sonic and the reading it was giving, "Dimensional Shift Bomb."

"Ooh," the Doctor smiled, "Haven't seen that in a while."

"Well, while you ogle the bomb, I'll get the rest of the bank's schematics," River offered, turning to the computer in the wall, plugging her scanner into it and downloading.

"So what does he want us to do?" Clara shook her head, "Blow through the floor?"

"Dimensional shift through the floor," both J and Evy corrected, J smiling widely at his mother for it.

"Yeah, and…" Clara frowned, trying to work it out, the Time Lady in her niggling her with the answer of what that meant, "So we…shift the floor to another dimension for a little? Climb through it?"

"And then it shifts back after us," J nodded, positively beaming, "Brilliant Clar! That was brilliant!"

Clara smiled at that, a faint blush starting to stain her cheeks as she looked away.

River smirked and shook her head, finishing up her download, "All finished," she walked back over, "Unless, of course, you'd like to continue singing Clara's praises, J?"

"I…I wasn't…I wasn't singing praises, Riv," J sputtered, "I was just…I was…it was…"

Evy laughed before taking pity on her son and cutting in, "Come now you two, time to work."

"Yes, time is a-wasting," the Doctor agreed, moving to set the Dimensional Shift on the ground, "Right, best back away, can't be sure how wide the field will be."

The small group backed up and pressed themselves against the walls. The Doctor took Evy's hand, tugging her closer to him just incase the floor opened up wider than was safe. She smiled at him for the action, squeezing his hand in return and wink at him before she flicked her sonic, activating the dimensional shift.

A hole began to form in the floor of the room, revealing that the deposit room was above a long shaft, like a lift shaft, with a ladder running down the length of it, "Well," the Doctor nodded, though Evy shook her head at his rather unimpressed and disappointed tone, "Come on then," before moving over to the ladder and starting to head down, wanting to be the first to make sure that the bottom was safe for his family to follow.

~8~

"Right then," River smiled as she hopped down off of the last rung of the ladder, turning to face the four others as they gathered at the bottom of the shaft, "What now?"

"Well," J shrugged, the five of them starting to walk off down the nearest hall, "The Architect set all this up. What would he have us do next?"

"My personal plan is that a thing will probably happen quite soon," the Doctor remarked.

"And, knowing how your plans go, as well as your luck, that 'thing' will likely be a very bad thing," Evy teased, moving closer to him and linking her arm with his, "Which is just as well that I'm here to help with a backup plan when your personal plan undoubtedly fails."

"Oh ye of such little faith!" the Doctor put a mocking hand on the middle of his chest over his hearts.

"No, me of such vast experience," she laughed.

"I'll prove you wrong one day."

"Which, likely, won't be today," Clara had to tease as well.

J glanced over at the three of them, his eyes lingering on Clara a moment longer than he should have, it was just…odd, to see how comfortable she was with his parents, that she could tease them and get away with it. He'd seen many a companion in his lifetime that didn't have that comfortableness or familiarity with his parents. It was…nice, comforting really, he was happy she was so close to them. It meant she was likely comfortable with him, or baby him, as well.

"Hopefully we won't end up dead," Clara continued, "That would put a damper on the rest of the day."

"Oh yes," Evy nodded, a sly smile coming to her face, "Your 'plans' for after this, what were they again?"

Clara gave her an odd look, recalling that she hadn't actually told them what her plans were, "I'm meeting up with Danny later."

"Danny?" J stopped walking, turning to face Clara with a frown. It wasn't like he was eavesdropping, he wasn't, they were just…talking, and Time Lord hearing was pretty darn good, and well…who was Danny? "Danny who?"

Clara snorted at that, hiding her giggles into her hand at the odd question that she often heard related to the Doctor now referencing Danny, "Danny Pink."

"And who's he when he's at home?" he frowned more.

Clara bit the bottom of her lip as she caught Evy's gaze, now understanding why the woman had brought up her plans, J appeared to be a little jealous if the small pout that was developing on his face was an indication, "Just…a friend."

"A friend?"

"Yes."

"A…friendly friend?"

"Yeah."

"HOW friendly?"

"Fairly friendly."

"JUST friendly or…"

"He's _just_ a friend, Cap'n," Clara laughed, his pout and frown was getting deeper and deeper and he just looked so putout that she couldn't bear to leave him thinking something like that, "A co-worker," she added, "Fellow teacher."

"Oh…" he nodded slowly, though they could all see that he wasn't entirely sure that being a co-worker didn't mean anything else.

"We're meeting to go over lesson plans," Clara rolled her eyes, "Coal Hill wants to try to do a few classes merged, History and Science, Maths and English, like that."

"Oh!" J smiled widely, nodding his head so much more now that it almost looked like he might lose it if he didn't stop soon, "Right, yeah, that's…that's ok. I mean, not that I have a say or…or…I just…that's…interesting. It's…"

"Oi!" River cut in, J nearly sagging with relief at the save his best mate was giving him, "Over here you lot! I've found a case."

"How does he get the cases here?" Clara frowned at that as they walked over to it, gathering around it as River was already at work opening it.

"He'd have to have broken in before we did," Evy frowned, "But what would the point be? If he broke in before us, why not get what he needed then?"

"Maybe he told us?" Clara suggested, "And we just…forgot?"

"Could be," Evy murmured, "Whatever he said to us must have gotten us all to agree, holding the TARDISes hostage wouldn't be 'of our own free will' like we said. We'd just forget what that reason was."

"Well, we'd have to," River shrugged, "The more we know and retain, the guiltier we are and the louder we must be to that Teller thing."

Evy had to smile at that, at how River had said 'the guiltier we are' instead of 'the guiltier we feel' as she was fairly certain that none of them would feel even a smidge of guilt for breaking into a bank but see it as more a challenge and for a bit of fun instead.

"Well, what do we have here?" J wondered as he reached into the case just after River opened it to see there were seven small tubes lying within, all of them with small metal tips on either end and a pin stuck in the middle of it, like a small cylindrical grenade.

Evy pulled her sonic out and scanned the items, "Teleporters," she remarked, not seeing a point to lie about it. J and River might have their own sonics and so they'd just scan it themselves and see for themselves, "But to where?"

"Can you find out?" Clara looked at the Time Lords.

"We could test them out," the Doctor reached for one.

Thankfully, though, just as Evy was about to steal it back and reprimand him for being willing to just teleport somewhere they didn't know, not sure if it would even be safe or hostile, or if it would be into the middle of a trap, the alarms began to go off, stopping him, "Warning. Intruders detected."

"Time for the running?" J grinned at that.

"Yeah, can we not do the running thing?" Clara sighed, pointing at her feet, "Heels."

"Well, what'd you wear those for?" J eyed the shoes.

"No idea," Clara remarked.

"I can think of one," River smirked, before sharply elbowing J in the ribs when she saw that he was staring at Clara's trouser clad legs now that his eyes had been drawn to her feet. That would be one reason to wear heels despite knowing you were entering an adventure, look good for a bloke.

"Sorry Clar," J smiled apologetically at her, though they could all see a bit of pink flushing his cheeks, "But running is sort of a part of the package with them," he nodded at his parents.

"With who?" Evy crossed her arms, smirking.

"With dad," he answered promptly, making the Doctor roll his eyes.

"Yes, yes, running, running, let's go," he turned, taking Evy's hand and tugging her off, "Come on now children."

"Oi!" came the call from all three of them as they followed the 'adults' out, well, while they followed one adult and the Doctor out.

~8~

Evy had to let out a little laugh as the Doctor kicked out the grill of the vent that they'd all piled into and shuffled down. He didn't have to kick it, he had his sonic, but he'd chosen to do just that and she knew exactly why. He wanted to seem impressive and 'manly' for her, not that he really had to do things like that, she'd loved him in all his incarnations, in every version and she'd love him in every one to come, even if he was fat and bald, she'd still love him and think him one of the best men she'd ever met. But still, even saying that and thinking that, it DID impress her and make her smile to see him be more physical than he'd been in a while. Watching him do things with his own two hands (and feet) made her feel warm and fluttered in her stomach, he still had it, that thing that just made him brilliant to her.

She did, however, roll her eyes and shake her head in amusement when she saw the smug smile that had graced his face as he heard her thoughts.

Apparently, whether or not their failed this mystery mission, he had succeeded in a 'mission accomplished' in impressing her with his 'physical feats.'

' _Just wait till later,_ ' he spoke in her mind, ' _I'll impress you even more with my physical feats._ '

"You ok?" Clara asked, noticing that Evy had begun to flush a deep red at his words.

' _I'll believe it when I see it,_ ' she challenged, turning his smug grin a hair more feral.

"I'm fine," she answered Clara.

"Well," J laughed, looking at something past them on the all above the vent as he helped River out after Clara, "'No Entry Under Any Circumstances,'" he read off the sign fixed there, "That's you in a nutshell dad."

"Like father like son," River countered before the Doctor could say anything.

And Clara, for one brief moment, though she hadn't truly thought that far ahead, had to wonder, if she and the Captain had a child one day, if her son would be the same.

Most likely.

She shook her head though, that was way, WAY too soon to be thinking of that.

The group fell quiet when they heard a faint moan sound from down the corridor. They glanced at each other a moment, all of them nodding in agreement to follow the sound. They almost wished they hadn't though when they saw what was making it.

The man from the bank, the one that the Teller had been used against, was sitting in a row of cells, groaning, and his wasn't the only one there.

"Oh, my God," Clara gaped in horror at the sight of the various men and women sitting there, their hands chained above them, their heads caved in, still clearly alive despite what they'd lost, "Why is he even still alive?"

"They shouldn't be," Evy agreed, "It must be an aftereffect of the Teller's ability," she glanced at the Doctor, "Like when I use my mind to move things and my nose starts to bleed or I get migraines. Maybe his skills keep his victims alive?"

"Whatever it is," the Doctor glanced up at a corner of the wall where a security camera was stationed, the red light on it blinking in recording, "Someone is watching."

Not even a moment later, an alarm blared, "Intruders on the service level. Intruders on the service level."

The Doctor took Evy's hand as they turned to run down the hall, glancing back to make sure J and the others were following. Evy tugged him to a halt at the sight of another vent grille with a 'No Entry' sign hanging above it, quickly sonicing it off and ushering the 'children' in first, she and the Doctor following after. It wasn't till they'd gotten the grille back onto the vent to hide their escape that they realized what room they'd rushed into.

The Teller's holding cell, or that was what it appeared to be for the creature was sitting there inside a glass cage whose walls were starting to fog up in the humidity.

"Please tell me that isn't…" Clara began.

But it was.

And it was starting to stir.

"Nobody move," the Doctor warned as they slowly made their way further into the room, he and Evy moving in front of the others, trying to keep themselves between the children and the Teller, "Nobody say a word. It's cocooned. Forced hibernation."

"That means its power is likely dormant at the moment…" Evy added, glancing over at the grille as the sounds of stomping boots passed by it, the security having reached that hall. She looked back a moment later when she heard Clara gasp only to see the Teller was moving more and Clara was frozen in fear.

"Clar!" J tensed, his eyes going wide in fear as he turned to her, "It's locked on to _you_."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that, in the show, Clara never physically met 'the woman in the shop' but I have a spinoff on FF.net where she does meet A woman in the shop ;) I can say that there's a twist for why she gives Clara the number to the TARDIS here and a twist for Missy as well ;)
> 
> Next chapter...someone is FINE. Enough with the Impossible Girls, let's get an Impossible Boy! Someone needs to find a new way to shut people up.


	10. Time Heist (Part 2)

"It may still be asleep," the Doctor spoke quickly, not entirely sure what his son would try to do to help free Clara. He didn't know this version, he hadn't raised him to be this young man yet, the boy wasn't even Linked to Clara yet for which he had to be thankful. If it had been Evy that had fallen prey to the creature he knew that he would have already leapt in its way to save her so he could be grateful his son hadn't done that just yet and so long as J stayed back there was still a chance to keep everyone safe, "Don't wake it."

"Ok," Clara swallowed, stilling, "How do I not do that?"

"You're going to have to keep your mind clear, Clara," Evy said calmly, "Imagine a wall, a plain wall. Time Lords are telepathic creatures by nature, the first thing the children are taught is to keep their thoughts their own, to visualize a wall to keep others out of, it may work here, so picture that and nothing else…"

"Once it locks onto your thoughts, it won't let go," the Doctor added, only to get an elbow in the side from Evy, making Clara nervous wasn't going to help.

They didn't know what her mental state was in terms of her telepathy just yet. Her mind was too jumbled for them to properly read, all the different lives in her head crowding around and making it hard to find just her mind. Something that made it hard for them to read her at times would only serve to make her a buffet for the Teller, all the different thoughts and guilts swarming in her head.

"Dad," J called, tensing more, his hands starting to curl into fists as the Teller began to growl, Clara wincing as she closed her eyes in an attempt to picture the wall, "It's waking up."

"Keep blocking your thoughts, Clara," River murmured, slowly making her way over to Clara's side, she and J inching closer to her…

Only for the Teller to let out a roar causing J to spring forward and grab Clara's hand, pulling her out of the path of the Teller's focus, "Come on!" he shouted, turning to his parents who were already working on opening another grill in the wall.

"This way," the Doctor yanked the cover off the wall and ushered them towards it, nudging Evy in first, followed by J and Clara. He had just reached out to River, holding a hand to her…

When the Teller tapped her in his mental hold, making her gasp.

"Riv!" J cried, twisting in the vent to try and get out, to help his friend as she fell to her knees, her hands gripping the sides of her head, but Evy and Clara held him back.

"How do we get her out?" Clara looked to the Doctor and Evy.

"It's scanning her brain," Evy murmured, her mind racing as she began to pat her pockets.

Clara swallowed hard at that, knowing the next step would undoubtedly be the Teller trying to turn River's brain into soup. She squeezed J's hand tighter.

"Mum…" J looked at her.

"Got it!" Evy pulled one of the teleporters out of her pocket, "River!" and slid it across the floor to her.

"River it's rooting through your brain," the Doctor informed her as River struggled to pick up the teleporter at the onslaught of the mental attack, "It's tasting all the secrets stashed inside. Any moment now, it will finish its sweep and start feasting on what's left. You need to activate that and get out of here, now!"

"But we don't know where it goes!" J reminded them, frantic and feeling helpless to do anything.

River, however, managed a small laugh at his remark, "Since when do we ever play it safe, Spaceman?" she forced herself to look up at him, forcing a strained smile onto her face as she finally managed to get a firm grasp on the teleporter.

J swallowed hard, "Never, Timegirl," he agreed, his grip on Clara's hand turning his knuckles white, "Be careful!"

River smirked at that, though they could see tears in her eyes from the pain of the attack, "Nah," she shook her head, "Ever so dull!"

And with that, she hit the button on the teleporter and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Dad?" J breathed as the Doctor scrambled to get into the vent after them, the Teller roaring at the loss of its next meal.

"Yes?" the Doctor mumbled, he and Evy putting the vent cover back on.

"When we meet the Architect…I'm going to have some words with him."

"As will I, boyo, as will I," he nodded.

"I'm not quite fond of him either," Evy agreed.

"We can all plan what we'll shout at him later," Clara reminded them, "Right now, we need to go. I'm sorry, but we have to, we find the Architect, we find out where River went yeah?"

"Yeah," J murmured, giving Clara's hand one more squeeze as the two of them turned and tried to shuffle down the vent.

The Doctor and Evy shared a look at each other as their son went on with his unknown Link, a small smile passing between them, "This takes me back," Evy teased.

"Or even forward," he joked back.

"Forward," she nodded, "I like that more, upwards and onwards eh?"

He reached out and took her hand, pressing a small kiss to the back of it, "Onwards," he agreed, "We finish this, we get back to our son too."

Evy smiled at that, "And then you can impress me with your promised physical feats," she leaned in, her hand that he'd taken resting on his left heart, to press a kiss to his lips, "Perhaps Sarah Jane can keep LJ for just a little longer once we're through..."

"I think she'd love to kidnap her godson for a few more hours," he whispered, kissing her again.

"Oi!" J's voice echoed down the vent to them, "Come on slow pokes!"

"Your son," the Doctor muttered.

Evy snorted at that, "Oh no, that sass is all yours dear."

~8~

J kicked out hard, knocking a grille off the wall, allowing the four bank robbers into the hall just outside a rather large, circular vault door. He blinked at it, absently reaching down to help Clara up, "Well, I'd say that's the vault…"

"Yes, does seem rather clear," the Doctor agreed, mimicking his son and helping Evy to her feet as well.

"Less clear is how to get through the door," Evy sighed, crossing her arms and staring at it, "Do you think I could…"

"No!" both the Doctor and J shouted, already knowing she was going to inquire if she should try to use her power on the door, force it open. They both doubted she'd be able to actually do it, if it were THAT easy, any telekinetic would have been able to rob the bank by now.

Evy gave them an amused look and held her hands up in surrender of the idea, "My boys, always watching out for me," she laughed though it drew a smile from the Doctor and J to hear the fondness in her voice. She pulled out her sonic, heading over to the door and scanning it, the Doctor joining her as J stared at the door with a frown.

Clara glanced at him, not sure if he was really seeing the door or attempting to look through it, she was quite sure that wasn't a Time Lord ability though, "You ok?" she asked, reaching out to put a hand on his arm.

"Hmm, what?" he blinked, turning to her, startled from his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" she repeated, "River…"

"Is fine," J spoke, a more determined note in his voice that gave Clara the impression he was trying to convince himself more than that he actually thought River was ok, "She's…tough, she's strong and resourceful and smart," he nodded, though he swallowed hard, "She'll be ok."

"If it helps, you know that your parents run into her all the time, an older her," Clara offered, "She'll survive this."

"Time can be rewritten though," J sighed.

"Not her story," Clara shook her head, "I doubt one line of it would ever be changed, she's too important to you, and the Doctor and Evy, and…and me," she added, "To let that happen."

J looked over at her, a soft expression on his face, "Thanks Clar."

Clara let her hand drift down from his arm to his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She moved to let go of his hand but J returned the squeeze, keeping hold of her hand as he gazed at her, making her hearts start to race…

"You two alright?" Evy spoke, causing them both to jump, releasing their hands, a grin on her face that told them the red starting to stain their cheeks was more obvious than they'd have liked, "Is this getting to be a bit too much for you?"

"No," Clara shook her head, "No, we're fine."

"Of course," J agreed, "Fine, fine, fine, Clara's always very fine. I mean," he winced, realizing how that sounded, "I mean, not…not FINE fine but ok fine, I mean…"

"I get it," Clara laughed, patting his arm, really very amused by how flustered he kept getting around her. HER J, the Captain, was just a tiny bit more smooth when it came to her. He still got flustered, especially if she really flirted with him, but this J was sweet, not quite sure what she was to him, not quite sure he could let her be anything to him, but still as affected by her as she had been by him before they Linked.

"Then if you two could focus instead of making moon-eyes at each other…" the Doctor huffed.

"We weren't making moon-eyes," J defended at the same time that Clara retorted with, "I will when you stop with Evy."

Evy gave a bit of a snort at that, especially when the Doctor's eyes narrowed at Clara for the remark.

"I do not make moon-eyes at my Link," the Doctor countered, forgetting what he wanted them to focus on.

"You do," Evy patted him on the arm before gesturing to a small box in his hand that he'd found, "But if YOU could focus, that would help us all dear."

He mockingly rolled his eyes but held the device up to show Clara and J, "Another gift from the Architect," he nudged one of the briefcases on the ground that he'd found the device in, "Shall we unwrap it?"

J reached out and took it, pulling one of River's handheld scanners from his pocket, his own crude version of it, and plugged the device in. He frowned, quickly reading the data on the screen before looking up and around a moment, heading over to a small alcove lined with computer screens and other circuits and began to examine them. Clara knelt by the briefcase, pulling out a card on it, frowning at the only thing written on it 'PV.'

"Oh this is rubbish," J grumbled.

"What is?" Evy moved beside him, managing to fit into the alcove with him though the Doctor and Clara had to remain at the edge of the opening to see.

"The system," J gestured at the tech, "It's time-delayed AND there are 24 lock codes we need to break, we…"

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by a growling noise that echoed over to them from down the hall, a growl that was very familiar to them all.

"It's the Teller," Clara gasped, "It's coming and we're trapped."

"Son?" the Doctor turned to him, seeing him frantically trying to work out the system, "How long?"

"Too long," J shook his head, "It would be impossible to open it before the Teller reaches us."

"Good," Evy nodded, shuffling and squeezing past J to his other side in the cramped space, "Then the two of us work on it, and we should get it open in half the time."

The Doctor grinned at that, leaning in, half pushing J into the wall to get across him to Evy, "My Impossible Girl," he murmured, pressing a quick kiss to her lips, "Clara and I will keep the Teller distracted."

"Right," Clara nodded, glancing at J once before she and the Doctor turned to run off.

"Mum…" J began as he watched her pulling a small ribbon off from around her wrist to tie her hair back behind her.

"Yes?" she started to get to work.

He was silent a moment, "Think we can do it?"

She looked at him, "If you've even got a dash of me despite all the Doctor I see in you, then we'll do it even faster than I said. What do you say, care to be an Impossible Boy today?"

J just grinned, the two of them turning to get to work on the impossible lock system.

~8~

The Doctor and Clara slid to a halt at an intersection of the hall, able to hear the Teller roaring in down one of them, "Do you feel that niggle in your head, Clara?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah," she nodded, her face scrunching in discomfort.

"That's a telepathic probe," he explained, "The Teller's trying to find which of us to latch onto and follow our thought trail."

"What do we do?"

"We have to split up. Two Time Lords in one place, the brain signals are off the charts. We need to minimize them."

"But what if he goes after Evy and the Cap'n?" she looked at him, concerned.

"He'll go after whichever signal is closest," the Doctor replied, "We need to keep close to the Teller, but not too close. Now," his gaze turned to the side at a particularly loud roar, the Teller getting closer, "Separate!" he nudged her to the left while he went right, the Teller coming right down the center hall after them.

~8~

"Ooh yes!" J cheered as the Vault began to creak.

"Vault locks opening," a computerized voice added, "Vault locks opening."

"Oh brilliant, impossible old us!" J beamed at his mother.

"24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17…"

Evy smiled as the red lights around the vault door began to turn green in access…when suddenly someone screamed down the hall.

No, not someone.

_Clara_.

"Clar!"

And, before Evy could even move, J had taken off towards the sound of the scream, dropping the scanner he'd been using to help crack the code with just a second for Evy to catch it before it fell and disconnected. Within the blink of an eye, J had already disappeared around a corner.

Evy let out a huff, "Your son, Doctor," she muttered under her breath, "Entirely your son."

She was really going to need to teach LJ not to wander off, or run off, wasn't she?

She shook her head and glanced at the hall and back to the controls, to the box in her hand, she couldn't risk leaving them in case some sort of system override came on and stopped the countdown…they couldn't afford a delay with the Teller there…

~8~

Clara slid down the wall of the corner she was hiding against, her hands pressed to the sides of her head as she felt the Teller's mental attack strike her again. He wasn't even within sight of her, but he had locked onto her and was trying to turn her brain to soup with every second. She knew it should have happened by now, her mind should have melted like the other humans but, she supposed, she should be thankful she wasn't human any longer. Her mind was fighting back, all the different lives she'd lived crowding her head, making it harder for the Teller to get through, but it didn't mean much when the pain was just as terrible as it had seemed when he attacked that man before.

"Oi!"

Clara gasped, hearing J's voice from down the hall, likely from behind where the Teller was standing.

"Come on Ugly McUgly!" J continued to shout, "Why not try a tasty meal like me instead? Oh you don't know half the things Riv and I got into. Come and have a go!"

Clara scrambled to look around the corner as she felt the Teller let her go only to see it heading right for J.

He looked over, locking eyes with her and said one word, "Run."

"Cap'n!" she shouted, rushing to her feet and moving around the corner just as J activated one of the teleporters and disappeared.

"Clara!" she suddenly found herself stumbling back as the Doctor crashed into her, pushing her back around the corner, "We need to go! Now!"

"But…but Sigma…" she shook her head, struggling in his hold.

"Is fine," he told her, "He's with River, they're both fine."

"But…"

"Clara!" the Doctor moved to stand in front of her, his hands on her shoulders, shaking her slightly to get her to look at him, "Look at me, look at me Clara," he waited till she turned her gaze to him, knowing he had to be very quick as he could feel the Teller turning back to them, "Trust me. Trust HIM," he searched her gaze one more second, "Alright?"

Clara swallowed hard but forced herself to nod.

The Doctor took her hand and dashed away, half pulling her along till they reached the vault again.

"Doctor!" Evy hurried out from the alcove just as the countdown reached 3, launching herself into his arms and hugging him, "Sigma?"

"Teleported out," he reassured her.

"Failed."

They blinked, almost, for one moment, forgetting where they were and what was happening in their relief that their son was alright, till it caught up to them that the 'Failed' had been computerized…the countdown and unlocking had failed, the vault door was still firmly shut. They looked over to see just one single red light was still lit.

"Vault unlocking failed," the computerized voice confirmed.

Clara shook her head, tears still in her eyes from seeing J disappear like that, and ran at the doors, grabbing the bar in the front of it and trying to pull it open but it wouldn't budge, "It's not opening," she kicked the door in frustration.

"The last lock must still be in place," Evy frowned up at the red light, before looking at her sonic as she'd been keeping track of the progress while scanning it, "Atomic seal. Unbreakable," she sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Impossible to crack, even for me."

"The Architect would know that though," the Doctor shook his head, all of this making less and less sense to him, "He wouldn't bring us all this way for nothing."

"There has to be something we missed then," Clara walked back over to them though her gaze was down the hall, watching for the Teller.

Just as she finished speaking the lights flickered as thunder crackled outside, loud enough to be heard even in the vaults.

"A storm…" Evy murmured, "That's it!"

"What's it?" Clara asked.

"Think, Clara," the Doctor turned to her, "The storm's tripping the system. It's what'll let us in."

"How would he know when a storm would hit though?" Clara argued.

"The same way we know what the lottery numbers will be," Evy shrugged, "Whoever the Architect is, they're from the future."

"This isn't just a bank heist, it's a time travel heist," the Doctor agreed, "We've been sent back in time to the exact moment of the storm, to be in exactly the right place when it hits, because that's the only time the bank is vulnerable."

The lights flickered once more, the computerized voice speaking once they were back on, "Vault unlocked."

Clara spun around as the enormous door opened, the Doctor grinning widely as he announced, "The bank is now open."

"Then let's get this over with," Evy decided, "I want to see my son again, BOTH of them, and River safe."

The Doctor nodded, taking her hand and leading them into the vault, which turned out to be an enormous room filled with walls and rows upon rows of safety deposit boxes. He hummed, eyeing the room, "It explains why we're not here in the TARDIS."

"Why Clara?" Evy glanced at her, encouraging her to work out what that was.

"Um," Clara frowned, trying to sift through her thoughts, they were all in disarray from the Teller's attack, but, recently, the Time Lady memories had been coming easier and easier to her, "The solar disruption would've made the navigation useless," she looked at them for confirmation, "Like static on the radio."

"Exactly," Evy smiled at her, "The one time the bank can be breached by anything, is the same time that only a TARDIS can't get in."

"Now, we just need to find out what we're here for…" the Doctor looked around.

Clara shook her head, recalling something, and pulled the paper she'd taken from the briefcase out, "This?" she offered, holding it up to show them, "It was in the last case. Look. PV."

"Private vault," Evy reasoned.

"Karabraxos's own fortune?" the Doctor pondered, before turning to take the lead, nearly stumbling when Evy yanked him back…but too late, the Teller was standing right in front of them.

Now how on Earth had THAT happened when there was just one entrance and the Teller had been behind them?

~8~

The Doctor, Evy, and Clara were lead into an office on the top floor of the bank by two armored, armed guards in helmets, the Teller standing in the corner of the room while the woman that had released him in the first place was sitting at her desk.

"Intruders are most welcome," the woman smiled at them, "They remind us that the bank is impregnable. It's good for morale to have a few of you scattered about the place, preferably on view," she gestured to a monitor on the wall where the feed came in from the cells they'd found of all the Teller's prior victims, "Are you ready for _your_ close-up? If you're thinking of ways to escape, the Teller will know before you've even made a move. You'll never be bothered by all that thinking again."

"You don't know the Doctor," Evy remarked with a smile to her Link, "He wouldn't be able to NOT think even without a brain in his head."

"But it is a useful species," the Doctor conceded, "Against humans at least," he added with a shrug, the fact that Clara, without their training in mental barriers and other telepathic issues, had been able to hold off the Teller for as long as she had was testament to the fact it was the brain itself and the mind of the person that could or couldn't handle the Teller, not the Teller's ability.

"Last of its kind, and we've signed an exclusive deal," the woman smirked, making the expressions on the trio's faces drop slightly at her words.

"It can't be easy," Evy glanced at the Teller, "Having to hear the thoughts of everyone in the Bank. I don't think it can block them out…" she turned her attention back to the woman, "So how do you get him to do what you want?"

"Oh, everything has a price tag, I think you'll find," she glanced up at the lights flickering from the storm, "The storm's getting worse. The customers are leaving. Director Karabraxos will be concerned. Our jobs will be on the line."

"You're scared," the Doctor realized.

"Oh, I'm terrified," she laughed, not sounding all that scared despite her words, "I have the disadvantage of knowing Karabraxos personally."

"If you don't like your boss, why stay?"

"My face fits," she shrugged, "Now if you'll excuse me, I must take the Teller to its hibernation. You two," she gestured at the two guards, "Dispose of our guests."

The guards nodded, stepping up as the woman left the room, leading the Teller out with her, waiting till the doors closed behind her…before they all burst out laughing, even the Doctor.

"They are REALLY bad at their background screenings aren't they?" Evy smiled, looking at the guards, "Hello River," she greeted as the woman pulled her helmet off.

"Boyo," the Doctor added when J followed suit, the two playing along as guards, they'd been able to sense who was leading them in the moment the guards arrived and, where J was, River was never far behind.

"Oh my god!" Clara cheered, hugging J tightly, the boy so relieved that his and River's plan worked that he didn't even notice that Clara had been laughing along with the Doctor and Evy before he and River had revealed themselves, sensing him just as hi parents had.

"Good thing we didn't know where the teleporters went or that we could get back," River beamed at them, "You couldn't feel guilt that we were still in the bank for the Teller to feel."

"Where DID you go?" Clara looked at them, stepping back from J with a faint blush on her cheeks and moving to hug River so as not to appear to be giving J special treatment, though her hug was less tight and less lasting than the one she'd given J.

"There's an escape ship in orbit," River explained, "Abandoned save for two rather remarkable boxes."

"Hmm, clever old Architect," the Doctor murmured.

"Very clever," River agreed.

"I still don't like him," J defended.

"I don't think any of us do at the moment," Evy agreed.

"And it's not over yet," the Doctor straightened, "There's still something in the private vault that we need to see to."

~8~

Once again the small group of five found themselves climbing down a ladder into the basement level of the bank, following River's directions towards the Private Vault. The Doctor paused when they came across a rather large pipe running along the floor and into the wall just beside a set of large doors, "What's that?"

"Supply line," River read off the scanner in her hand, "It's the only oxygen down to the private vault. There's another one for water, for basic life support."

"Life support?" Clara frowned at that, "For a private vault?"

"You would be surprised the people that want to live in their own little secure places, Clara," Evy sighed, shaking her head at the door, "This had better not be Max Capricorn's twin brother or long lost daughter or something."

The Doctor chuckled at that, moving to crouch beside a grille that led to the air vent for the room, flicking his sonic at the corners to let them in, leading the way through the other vent and into the vault. The room beyond was not what they expected of a private vault. It wasn't cold or anything like the main safety deposit vault. It was rather quaint and cozy, more like a very ornate and elegant sitting room full of antiques than anything. Mozart was even playing lightly in the background.

"Director Karabraxos?" the Doctor called when he spotted a rather large armchair at a desk, its back to them, "Excuse us, but we've come to rob you. So if you want to put your hands above your head, or…" he trailed off, startled when the chair turned to reveal the woman that had apprehended them earlier, mockingly putting her hands up as the music cut off.

"Or?" she raised an eyebrow at them, eyeing them, "You didn't bring any weapons. That's a bit of an oversight."

"We don't like guns," Evy defended, moving to the Doctor's side, "And we don't really need them when we have these," she pointed to her head.

"Hmm…" the woman hummed, leaning in to press an intercom on her desk, "Security, Karabraxos here."

"You're Karabraxos?" the Doctor blinked at that.

"One moment," she held up a finger to him, ignoring the threat of the 'theft' to come in order to focus on the monitor that lit up on her desk, the…same woman from earlier appearing on it as well.

"Director Karabraxos, is there a problem?"

"Intruders in the private vault. Send me the Teller. I want to find out how they got in, and then I want to wipe their memories."

"Is she a clone or something?" Clara asked the Time Lords quietly, it was the only think she could think of to explain how there were two of the same woman.

"It's the only way to control my own security," Karabraxos sighed, "I have a clone in every facility," she rolled her eyes back to her clone, "Get on it right away."

"Yes, of course," the woman nodded.

"And then hand in your credentials. You're fired, with immediate effect."

The woman looked alarmed, "But please, I've been in your service…"

"Ever since the last one let me down and I was forced to kill it," Karabraxos cut in with a huff of irritation, "I can't quite believe that you're putting me through this again," she reached out and hit the monitor off, clearly not a fan of having to deal with even herself, "My clone. And yet she doesn't even protest. Pale imitation, really. Ha! I should sue."

"You're killing her?" Clara gaped at that, about to stride up to the woman when J put a hand on her arm to hold her back gently, "You just said…"

"Fired?" she smirked, "I put all of the used clones into the incinerator. Can't have too many of moi scattered around."

"Am I the only one that finds it funny she doesn't like her own clones?" J glanced at his parents.

"She doesn't just not like her clones," Evy frowned at her, "I rather thinks she hates them. Tell me, Ms. Karabraxos, what is wrong with you that you burn your own clones? You DO realize they ARE you, don't you? You're basically saying that you can't stand yourself and…"

"I know who he is!" the Doctor cut in suddenly, an epiphany hitting him.

"Who?" River frowned.

"The Architect," he spun around to face them, getting worked up as he realized what had happened, "I know who he is because I know one thing about the Architect. What is it that I know about the Architect? I know one thing. Something that I've known from the very start."

"You don't like him," Evy began slowly, he had said it and thought it more than once.

"Correctamundo!" he pointed at her, before grimacing, "Rubbish word. How could I have _ever_ used that word?"

"Back on point, dad?" J called in a rare moment of trying to actually KEEP them on track.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "I don't like the Architect, he's overbearing, he's manipulative, he likes to think that he's very clever. I hate him! Don't you see?" he spun around, "I hate the Architect."

"What in the name of sanity is going in this room now?" Karabraxos shook her head at him.

"You," Evy pointed at her, "Don't get an opinion in this," she remarked, "You're not exactly the picture of sanity."

"And HE is?" Karabraxos gestured at the Doctor.

"Do you mind if I borrow a little bit of paper?" the Doctor ignored her, grabbing a paper off the woman's desk and starting to write on it.

"And what are you doing now?"

"I'm giving you my telephone number."

"Context would be helpful here Doctor," Evy spoke dryly.

"Help, just help," he reassured her, straightening to peck her lips quickly, before finishing the note and folding it, writing on the back of it, "There," he slid the paper towards Karabraxos, "In case you feel the need to call me…US someday," he tapped the paper where he'd written 'We are Time Travelers.'

Evy looked up as the storm managed to actually shake the building now, making the objects in the room rattle, "I don't think your bank will actually survive this storm, Karabraxos," she turned to the woman, "If you want to live to a ripe old age," she glanced at the Doctor as he nodded along at that, pointing at her as though she'd said something meaningful, "You had best leave now."

"Yes, don't mind us, we'll just stay here and burn," the Doctor waved the woman on, urging her to get her things together quickly as the alarms began to sound above them. He watched her move around the room, seeming to struggle with what to pick to save, raising a bushy eyebrow at how she'd selected a Faberge egg of all things, "Hard to know what to take. The greatest treasures of the universe in just one suitcase," he made his way closer to Evy as the room shook once more, glancing at J, Clara, and River to see them banding together too, all of them sensing the storm getting worse and getting closer.

Clara looked between the older Time Lords before whispering to J and River, "Please tell me that they have a plan…"

J snorted at that, "Mum, probably. Dad…well…" he dragged out that last word, putting a bit of a whine to it that had the Doctor playfully rolling his eyes.

"The Teleporters Clara," Evy called, having heard her, "We use them to get back to the ship where the TARDISes are."

"Ahh but there's something you're missing," the Doctor beamed, "And frankly dear," he looked at Evy, "I'm shocked you are."

"Well, given that there's a solar storm about to incinerate us all, how about you tell us?" Evy gave him an amused look, choosing not to read his mind or pry it from him, he was having too good a time having worked something out that the rest of them hadn't to spoil his fun too much.

"There were _seven_ of them," he beamed, spinning around as Karabraxos walked past them, "Hey!" he called to her as she reached a lift, "Give us a call me some time," he made the 'call me' sign to her.

Karabraxos rolled her eyes as the doors to the lift opened and she stepped in, "You'll be dead."

"Yeah," the Doctor rolled his eyes at that, "You'll be old. We'll get on famously. You'll be old and full of regret for the things that you can't change."

They stood there a moment longer, watching as the doors shut, the lift starting to rise with Karabraxos in it before the Doctor spun back around to face the small group.

"Doctor, what the hell is going on?" Clara asked the question she was sure the others were all thinking, though she couldn't quite tell with Evy, the woman seemed to find all his dangerous adventures and mad ideas amusing and endearing now.

"Did you remember something?" River guessed.

"No, not a thing," the Doctor shook his head, "But I've come to an understanding."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"Oh my god," Clara muttered, they were all going to die weren't they?

The Doctor looked over at Evy, "I need my memory back."

Evy frowned, "I can't help you remember something I don't even remember," she argued, "You'd need something more powerful to trigger memories like that. Something like…" she blinked, before closing her eyes and shaking her head, working out what his plan was.

"Exactly," he nodded.

"What?" Clara looked between them, "What is it?" but Evy just opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor, so she turned her attention to River and J, "What is it?"

"Soup," J swallowed hard.

"What?"

"And speak of the devil," River muttered as the lift dinged, the doors opening to reveal the Teller standing inside.

"Hello, big man," the Doctor quickly dashed over to the alien, not about to risk Evy or J trying to do what he was planning. Evy's mind was…delicate, despite how strong it was for a Time Lord, her time at the Mason Institute had affected her even through her regenerations, he didn't want to do anything that would strain it, and, if he was correct in what he thought might have happened, J wouldn't have the memories he needed so his son attempting this was out of the question. Not even Clara would be useful in taking his place, with all those other lives in her head, the Teller might feast on them too long or trigger one and the last thing they needed was Clara having an associative break in the middle of a solar storm in the middle of robbing a bank, "Peckish?"

"Don't…" Evy began to call out when the Teller latched onto the Doctor's mind, starting to sift through it as River moved to grab Evy's arm, holding her back should she try to take another step closer.

"No, no," the Doctor managed to hold a hand back to Evy, "Let it take me. Let it read me. It's the only way."

"If he kills you…"

"Yes, yes," he winced, "You've my full permission to bring me back just to kill me yourself," he groaned, sinking to his knees as the memories flashed across his mind, "That's it, that's it. There are so many memories in here. Feast on them. Tuck in. Big scarf, bow-tie, bit embarrassing."

"I'll say," J murmured, trying to keep it light.

"What do you think of the new look?" he called out in general, needing to focus on THIS incarnation and his memories from it, "I was hoping for minimalism, but I think I came up with magician."

"Beats the rainbow jacket," Evy called, "Very mature a choice. Perfect for breaking into a bank," she added, helping him focus on the present, on what they were doing, on what he needed to remember.

"In the last few days," the Doctor turned back to the Teller, "There's been a block. Can you see the block? Tell me why we're here. Show me why we're here. Show me!"

He gasped as images began to pour into his mind, faint fragments of lingering memories, the ones the Memory Worm couldn't entirely deteriorate.

_There was Karabraxos, her voice, aged, in his ear, on the phone. She was regretful, she was dying and she wanted to make amends, there was something she'd done that had harmed another, a life she'd stolen she wanted to give back…_

_He needed to rob a bank to do it, because that life was held in the Private Vault. But the bank was secure, guilt would kill them all if they knew…so they needed the Memory Worms._

_HE was the Architect!_

_He had set up the recording, disguised himself to leave a message while Evy had broken into the Bank with the TARDIS to place the briefcases._

_They'd searched out J and River, left a message at an archaeological dig for her to find and she'd gotten J to bring her to the rendezvous point. Both had been far too eager to join them on their mission, though J had agreed to do so only on the condition that his mother wear the 'gangster fedora' to complete her outfit. A ridiculous request but Evy had humored her son._

_They had dropped LJ off with Sarah Jane to watch for a few hours while they saw to this._

_Clara had set the frequency up on her mother's ring in preparation for J joining them._

_J and River had used their TARDIS, disguised as a police car, to stop one of the bank's clients, claiming he might be intoxicated and needing to take a sample of his breath for examination, letting him off once they'd gotten the DNA needed in the breath container._

He fell back onto his heels, Evy rushing to his side as he panted, the Teller releasing him. He twisted, grabbing her arm to look at her, "Did you see why we came?" he asked, "Why we're here?"

She nodded, having seen the memories playing out in his mind as he remembered them, "We had to forget so we wouldn't feel guilt about this, so that the Teller wouldn't find us. If he caught us, if he saw our memories of why we're really here, then Karabraxos would know, and she'd have done much worse than leave us to burn to stop us."

"But she's gone now," the Doctor started to grin, "They've all gone!" he turned to look at the Teller, "They have no power over you now. You can do exactly what you want to do now."

Evy's eyes flickered to a door set into the wall with a lock on it, a small wheel like a miniature vault door, and back to the Teller, "You can open it now, like you've always wanted to."

The Teller let out a small roar and moved over to the door, standing before it and using his power on the lock, all the tumblers clicking into place.

"It knows the combination," Clara blinked.

"Of course it does," the Doctor remarked as Evy helped him stand, keeping a firm grasp on her as he felt the room start to spin a bit, his brain had apparently gotten a bit too close to soup for his body's liking, "It was linked to Karabraxos."

"Alright, so then what exactly are we doing here?" River frowned, not entirely privy to the Time Lord thoughts around her, she could read J's mind with some effort, but right now there was too much going on and she'd rather just be told.

"Rescue," J murmured, watching the Teller, "We're here to rescue his mate," he let out a breath as the door open to reveal another identical creature sitting on the floor in a straight jacket, "It makes sense now, why he did that to all those people. Karabraxos had his mate as insurance that he'd do what she wanted."

"That's horrible," Clara whispered, watching as River hurried to the other Teller's side, scanning its vitals.

"It is, for both of them," the Doctor agreed, understanding how the Teller had appeared in the safety deposit room so quickly, it hadn't been the Teller at all but it's mate, let free for only a moment to capture them before it was returned to its prison, "There's nothing you wouldn't do to protect everything you loved," he wound his arm around Evy tighter at that thought, at the thought of something he had done to her oh so long ago in the name of protecting her and their unborn child. Worst centuries of his lives when he had to spend them without her.

' _But now you have us,_ ' Evy's voice echoed in his mind, ' _You have me and your son and Jenny, and our son has Clara and River, you have it all now, Theta._ '

He looked at her softly, leaning in to press a kiss to her temple, ' _And I will never lose it, not ever._ '

"She's ok," River called, helping the other Teller to its feet, its mate moving to its side instantly.

"Right then," Evy nodded, looking to the Doctor as the lights began to flicker erratically, a roaring starting to sound above them, "Time to go."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the other teleporters, holding them out to the others to take before they all disappeared in a flash of light just as the fires of the sun consumed the bank and planet all.

~8~

Evy stood with a smile on her face, leaning against the Doctor as he wound his arm around her waist, just watching the Teller and his mate walk off on the small, uninhabitable planet they'd found for the duo. She rested her head on his shoulder, glancing to the side to where her son was standing, his arm absently dangling off River's shoulders, a wide grin on his face, while Clara stood with a softer smile, her arms crossed over her chest, the five aliens just watching the two find peace.

"So much mental traffic in the universe," the Doctor mused, "Solitude is the only peace."

"Oh I don't know about that," Evy murmured, turning her head to look up at him, "I find peace in you and your mind is one of the most chaotic ones I've ever seen."

He merely smiled at her, resting his head on hers as they watched the two aliens disappear into the distance.

~8~

"Oh that's not fair," Evy laughed as she and the Doctor stood around the TARDIS console room with some small takeout containers, Clara, J, and River around them, all getting a much needed meal after their heist, teleporting could take a lot out of you, "The Borgia boys were very sweet."

"To YOU," the Doctor corrected, a small frown on his face as he recalled an incident when they'd run into the infamous Borgia family.

Evy rolled her eyes, "You're just cross that they found the Leaning Tower charming, like I did, and didn't see the point in correcting it."

"You cheated," he defended.

"How did I cheat?"

"You were…you," he floundered a moment, "You could make anyone agree to anything with a flash of a smile."

Evy grinned at that, "I know."

"Oi!" the Doctor gave her a mock-surprised look, as though she'd admitted to something he wasn't expecting her to, but really…she did cheat, she cheated in just being her lovely self. To be quite fair, he would have agreed too if she'd flashed him that smile, it had gotten him more than once in the past.

"Hold on," Clara shook her head, swallowing a piece of rice, "The Borgias? Not…"

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "Ran into the eldest boy once while he was studying, he wanted to show us the Leaning Tower of Pisa, asked us what we thought."

" _I_ thought it was wonderful," Evy told them.

"You would," the Doctor scoffed slightly, "It was YOUR design."

"Wait, YOU helped design it?" River gave Evy a look, not having known that, Evy nodded.

"Wasn't Grandmum an architect though?" J frowned in thought, and Evy nodded again, "So what happened?"

Evy gave him a playful, narrow-eyed look at the slight against her designs for the tower, "I never claimed _I_ was an architect," she shrugged out a long suffering sigh, "Suppose that's a sign I'm definitely _not_ meant to be one either."

"No," the Doctor agreed, moving his arm around Evy's waist, "You're not, you're meant to be Evy, my Evy," he gave her a gentle, chaste kiss, "My Impossible Girl."

"Ok," J cut in, "And this is when River and I leave you, before you two get all…that," he gestured at the two of them, "I don't need you to conceive a little brother or sister for me just yet, you know."

Evy gave him a look for that, "DO we ever give you a sibling?"

J opened his mouth to answer when River slapped her hand over it, "Spoilers," she smirked…before immediately pulling her hand away from him, "J!" she huffed, glaring at him, "Really? Again?" and wiping her hand off on her pants as J grinned smugly, sticking his tongue out at her a moment, leaving no room to guess what he'd done to get her hand off him.

"You need to find a new way to shut me up Riv," J teased, but his smile did fall slightly as he glanced at Clara, who was watching them with amusement, "Really though, we should head out. We were in the middle of a bit of a thing ourselves."

"Well then," Evy stepped over to them, hugging J and then River while the Doctor did the same, "Give us a call some time, or pop in whenever you like."

"Oh I see," J teasingly rolled his eyes, "Now that I'm about to head off you miss ME more than Mini-Me."

Evy shook her head, "Well when we raise Mini-You into, well, you, then we'll talk."

"Yes, I'm sure future us misses you _very_ much," the Doctor agreed.

J smiled at that, glancing at Clara, "And what about you, Clar? You gonna miss me?"

"Yeah," she said softly, a thoughtful look in her eyes, "I always miss the Cap'n."

J beamed at that, not seeming to catch the knowing look River and his parents were exchanging at her words.

"See you around," River smiled at them, before holding out her wrist where she'd apparently brought a Vortex Manipulator with her but left it in the TARDIS, J slapping it and the two of them disappearing in a flash of light.

Clara let out a little breath, glancing at the Time Lords to see them watching her carefully, "Well, survived that fairly well, didn't I?" she offered, though there was a tugging in her that she really wanted to see HER Captain now, her J, her Sigma, not LJ, not J, just…her Link, very much, she really did miss him whenever he wasn't there, and being around a him that wasn't quite HIM was harder than she'd let on.

"You did wonderfully Clara," Evy stepped over and gave her a tight hug.

"And such a job well done deserves a treat," the Doctor agreed, moving over to the console and putting in coordinates, "7:12, local time, same day as we left, same year, same apartment, as promised," he looked at Clara, "Go and enjoy yourself," he gestured to the door as the box set down.

"Say hello to Mr. Pink for us," Evy added.

"Actually," Clara started to smile, "I think I may have to cancel," she nodded, deciding it, "I think I'd really rather go on a date-date than a work-date."

"Fair enough."

"Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" the Doctor called as Clara headed for the doors.

She paused in the doorway to look back at them, her eyebrow raised, "That sets the bar, doesn't it?" she laughed as the Doctor started to sputter, realizing that there really wasn't anything he and Evy hadn't done by now, but she'd disappeared out the doors before he could respond.

Evy shook her head at him in amusement, "You realize your son will almost certainly come up with some sort of situation that doubly tops a bank heist yes?"

"Yeah," he winced, realizing that they probably should have tried to keep Clara to her plans with Danny than risk what their son would try to do to top robbing a bank, "And, speaking of our son," he looked at her, his hand reaching out to take hers as it rested on a control, "Sarah Jane can handle him for…a little while longer, yeah?"

"Theta," she laughed, "We have a TIME machine, we could be here for hours, days even, though I'd rather it not be quite that long before we get our son back, and be there to pick him up minutes after we dropped him off," she squeezed his hand, "I think Sarah Jane would love to have him longer though."

"Right, yes, good," he started to smile, stepping back from the controls and heading toward the doors to the halls, "Well then, we should make good use of our time, our guilt-free, child-free, TARDIS-to-ourselves time…shouldn't we?"

"Oh yes," she nodded, giving him a single grin of warning before she dashed past him, pulling him off by the hand, their laughter echoing down the halls before it was abruptly cut off by the closing of a door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the cameo of J and River popping up in this episode :)
> 
> Next chapter...someone needs a break, an old face reappears, and someone else wants to be a superhero...or is it a wizard?


	11. The Caretaker and the Nurse (Part 1)

Evy smiled as she stood in the doorway of LJ's room, leaning against the frame, her arms crossed as she watched the Doctor lull their son to sleep. LJ had insisted that he was old enough for a 'big boy bed' and so the TARDIS had supplied one for the boy. But LJ was still so energetic that even in his sleep he ended up all twisted in the sheets and half hanging off the bed. It took a while to get the boy to rest and relax enough to drift off too. Even though he was a Time Lord and one day wouldn't need as much sleep, he was still a child and growing. She had to shake her head as the Doctor straightened up, pressing a kiss to LJ's forehead and turning to head towards her. She'd finally managed to convince him that bedtime stories were meant to be soothing and not the riling way his epic speeches were. The Doctor had a bad habit of falling into them though, starting off a simple story and having one thought lead to another and a reminder of the past and before he knew it he was reenacting what he was doing when he gave a particular epic speech…which just kept LJ wide awake in excitement.

More often than not SHE was the one reading him stories for bed, poems and other classics from various authors of all species and planets and time periods, but every so often the Doctor would insist on putting the boy to bed, now was one such night.

"Well then," the Doctor grinned as he shut the door behind them a crack, winding his arms around her waist as she let her arms fall around his shoulders, "Sigma's to bed," he gave her a prompting look, "What shall we do with our time?"

She had to chuckle softly at that, "Oh, so NOW we have time?" she shook her head, "That's your own fault, Theta. You've had us running around almost nonstop these last few trips. I'M starting to get tired, I can only imagine what Clara's feeling."

He nodded vaguely at that, it was true, they'd popped in to see Clara far more often these last few times. It was just…seeing his son (and River) interacting with her, it had reminded him of something, sparked a thought in him. They weren't around Clara as often as their son was, their grown son and he knew what his own mind was like when his Link was around, muddled and drifting and full of thoughts of her, so he could assume his son was even worse when Clara was there. There was a chance that Clara wasn't actually getting the proper instruction on how to be a Time Lady.

It wasn't that she even needed it, she'd been a Time Lady for centuries, but it was all buried and crowded in her head. Seeing her in the bank, she was trying to do better, to think like a Time Lord, but it was a struggle for her. He doubted that the Captain was helpful in having Clara focus on those Time Lady memories, he would probably be more keen to do something to see her smile or make her laugh than focus on the past. Clara was a Time Lady now, and she needed to know or remember so much more about it than she did. He was just…trying to hurry that along. They were popping in much more, that was true, and it was largely his fault but he was trying to give her different adventures, different situations to help spark more of her Time Lady mind and thoughts.

They'd been to a rather desert-like planet, and gotten left there to be fed to the sand piranhas by the locals. They could have gotten out of that easier if Clara had remembered the vibro-cutters, but she'd left them in the pockets of her other coat. That had been a lesson that she needed to remember that they'd made the pockets of one of her coats bigger on the inside and that she should just keep everything even remotely useful in there, as other Time Lords were accustomed to do. Then they'd gone to visit the Fish People, as per LJ's request, he'd latched onto something Evy had said ages ago, that perhaps they ought to get him a goldfish so he'd stop asking for a pet, but, of course, a simple goldfish was too boring. He'd suggested they go to the Fish World and get a more intelligent goldfish, one that could talk. They'd nearly been drowned because Clara had mistaken them for the wrong species and gotten the planet wrong and they'd taken it as an insult. Which had told him she still wasn't quite up to par with the knowledge of the Universe that each Time Lord was privy to. On top of that, they'd also been to another planet, one under military command, and ended up running for their lives back to the TARDIS to avoid being killed by the soldiers. Again, because of Clara. She hadn't shown 'due deference' to the leader of the people and the man had taken it as insult and again they were off.

There were just…so many things a Time Lord ought to know and Clara was struggling to remember them.

"She should be fine," he shrugged, "She's a Time Lady."

Evy gave him a soft look for that, knowing where his mind had gone, "She is NOW," she agreed, "But Theta she wasn't for quite a while. She grew up as a human, her body's only just changed to a Time Lady's recently. She may not need as much sleep, but her body isn't used to it yet, she does still have to sleep here and there. Her mind can't heal and help her sort through her lives if it's tired."

He sighed, that was true. Even he was feeling a bit knackered after all of it, the fact that LJ had fallen to sleep so easily this time was testament to that too.

"I know," he murmured, "I'm sorry," he added.

"Tell that to Clara," she leaned in to tap her nose to his, "She's the one that's got to be dead on her feet by now," she leaned in to give him a peck, "Calm down, dear, ok?"

He nodded, "The next adventure, I promise," he crossed his hearts, "It'll be just us, give Clara and LJ a break."

"Thank you," Evy smiled at him.

"Though," he started to smile as well, "Speaking of adventures…" he waggled his eyebrows, it wasn't often that LJ was asleep without them needing to go somewhere or deal with some other calamity or the TARDIS breaking down.

"I knew you'd still want one more," Evy merely smirked, "Here," she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to him before she stepped back and began to head down the corridor.

The Doctor frowned, "What…what's this?" he held up the paper.

Evy turned around, but kept walking, "A treasure map," she shrugged, "Let's see how quickly it takes you to find the X."

And with that she disappeared around a corner.

The Doctor frowned and unfolded the paper, eyeing the map quickly, before he grinned and dashed off after his Link…

~8~

"Thank you for this," Clara murmured, her words half muffled from where her face was pressed into the Captain's shoulder as she sat, curled beside him on the sofa of her flat. It was dark out, the lights low, the telly playing a random movie while he had his arm around her, just letting her use him as a pillow for the moment.

He smiled, "It's fine Clar," he told her, leaning over to press a kiss to her hair, "Dad went a bit mad did he?"

She let out a strangled groan, recalling the last few adventures with him. It was like a nonstop romp across the universe. She'd been left in the desert…and had to explain to Danny her sunburn was from a sunbed the next morning when she got to school. She'd nearly drowned in an undersea world…and needed an excuse of a freak storm for the seaweed in her hair that none of the children decided to point out to her come lunch when she'd asked Danny why the other teachers were staring at her. And now she was just utterly exhausted. She'd come from running for her life to a weekend morning jog with Danny. It was a thing that the two of them did with three other teachers on Sundays, they all just went for a calm jog…and now her legs were killing her.

The Captain chuckled at that, "I'm sorry Clar," he gave her another kiss, squeezing her shoulder and rubbing her arm.

"No, no," Clara sighed, shaking her head and lifting it enough to balance her chin on his shoulder, " _I'm_ sorry," she told him, "I know that you really look forward to the adventures we can have together without your mum or dad or Mini-You around and I've just been so tired and…"

"Clar, it's _fine_ ," he smiled at her, looking her in the eye, "I don't need any of that, I don't need epic adventures or dangerous situations, as fun as they may be, to be happy. All I need is YOU," he reached out with his other hand to tap her on the nose, making her laugh, "You make me happier than I've ever been in my whole life just sitting here with you."

Clara felt herself blushing as she smiled besottedly at him for his words, and the thing was, she could feel it too, through the Link she shared with him, she could feel that he was being entirely truthful, he really felt that, "Thank you."

He gave her a wink, "You CAN tell mum and dad though," he added, "Tell them you just need a bit of a break or…a vacation, calmer trips and they'll do it, they'll give you as much time as you need. Or at least tell Mum," he amended, "She'll get dad to listen," he chuckled, "They've got a time machine Clar, you tell them to give you a week, they'll just fly in 7 days later for you and 7 seconds for them."

"I know, I know," Clara murmured, "I just…I _do_ like the trips, I like seeing everything they want me to see, I like that I get to learn how to be a proper Time Lady just watching what Evy does. It's just…getting to be a bit much right now."

"Which is why I'm perfectly fine having a night in if that's what you need," the Captain smiled at her, "What we want and what we need aren't always the same thing, and need should always come first. You need a break Clara, just ask for it and they'll give it to you, like I did."

She nodded slowly at that, "Yeah, a break would be nice."

~8~

Evy looked up as Clara stepped into the TARDIS after they'd parked it in her sitting room and gave the Doctor a pointed look as Clara joined them up at the console after having given LJ a little pat on the head when she passed him playing with his dinosaurs.

"So…" Clara took a breath, "Where we off to?" she'd decided to see where they were going first before saying anything about waiting. If it was some sort of event that could only happen at a specific time, she'd go, but if it was something that could wait, she'd ask if they could pick her up in a week for it, just give her time to recuperate.

"Clara!" the Doctor greeted, "You look lovely today. Have you had a wash?"

Clara blinked at that, "Why are you being nice?"

"He's always nice," Evy defended, moving to her Link's side and wrapping an arm around his waist, "Mostly."

Clara rolled her eyes at that but the Doctor coughed, feeling Evy poke him in the back, "Listen," he began, "We're sorry but there's going to be no trip today. Sorry. Er, we…" he glanced at Evy as she nodded, "We've got to do a thing. It might take a while."

Clara eyed them, "What thing?"

"Just a thing."

But she shook her head at that answer, "You're being mysterious, and do you know what means?"

"I'm a man of mystery?"

Evy snorted at that, "Not quite that dear. You're an open book to me."

"As I ought to be," he winked at her.

Clara had to smile at that, she felt the same about the Captain, it was like, even without the Link and a connection to his mind, she could just read him, "It means that you are a very clever man making the mistake, common to very clever people, of assuming that everybody else is stupid."

"Let me guess," Evy smiled at Clara, " _He_ has the same look?" she asked, giving a pointed look at LJ's back, guessing that 'the Captain' had the exact same look on his face that his father did when he was trying to pull something over someone.

Clara nodded, "Got it in one," she crossed her arms and fixed the Doctor with a look, "So where are you going?"

"Undercover," the Doctor answered, " _Deep_ cover."

That seemed to surprise her, "Can you _do_ deep cover?"

"I suppose we'll find out," Evy teased.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Contrary to popular belief, I CAN do deep cover. Or have we forgotten 1913?"

Evy laughed at that, "You cut out your Time Lord essence and had the TARDIS download an entire fake life into you. You're NOT about to do that again," not like he could, with the Link in place, to do that would be like a death sentence to her and he would never, ever put her through that agonizing pain, "I've yet to see you do deep cover and have it stick or be believable. Or do you remember Craig's?"

"Oh ha ha," he said dryly, rolling his eyes at that memory, though he bravely fought off a smile thinking of some of the things they'd gotten into during it, before snapping his fingers to open the TARDIS doors, "We'll see you when we see you," he called to Clara.

But she snapped her own fingers to close the doors, "When's that?"

So the Doctor snapped his again…only for them to remain shut, "Oi!" he called up to the TARDIS.

' _I am not a barn!_ ' the TARDIS snapped at them, echoing a little louder in their minds. Evy had been tinkering with the chip that let the box talk, trying to see if they could keep the box speaking only in the minds of the adults instead of LJ's too, for the times when the box got a little colorful with its language...she hadn't quite managed to turn it off yet though, ' _Keep my doors closed unless someone is actually leaving!_ '

"Tetchy," the Doctor muttered, only to pull his hand away from the console where it had been resting when it sparked, "Ow!"

"Don't insult the TARDIS," Evy sighed, "You think you'd have learned that by now," she shook her head and looked at Clara, "Clara we do have another trip planned, yes," she told her, straightforward, "But we want to do it just us. You have to be tired after the last few adventures, _I_ am, and we just want to give you a little break."

Clara stared at her for a very long while.

So long that Evy actually started to frown, "What?"

"Nothing," Clara shook her head, snapped out of her thoughts, "It's just…" she smiled, glancing at the distracted LJ before speaking a little quieter to Evy, "Seems your son is more like you than you think."

Evy blinked at that, before smiling, it seemed her son had told Clara the same thing, that she deserved a break, "Yes, well…" she shrugged, though she was very touched to hear that her son did have some more of her traits in the future too.

"Thank you," she looked between them, before turning to head out, stopping to give LJ a small high-five, and hurrying out of the TARDIS, a smile on her face. Perhaps, for once, things would be calm for a while.

~8~

Clara Oswald rolled her eyes as she walked down the halls of Coal Hill beside Danny Pink, ignoring the sniggering and whispers of the students around her. The phrase 'Ozzie loves the Squaddie' was growing more and more commonplace, and as irritating as it was to hear at first, now it just made her laugh. Children were just that, children. They thought that, as she and Danny were friends and did hang out a few times, that they HAD to be dating or in love. If they only knew that she and Danny spent a lot of that time with her actual 'boyfriend' that would be something.

But what would the children say then? Clara loves the Captain? Well it was true. She could feel herself smile as she thought about that, which only served to make the children think she was smiling at what they were saying and laugh loudly as she passed.

"Ignore 'em," Danny offered as they reached the staff room, "They don't know what they're talking about."

"Oh, I know," Clara laughed, "It's just, I was thinking what their reaction would be if they actually DID know, like what if he just popped into school one day."

Danny chuckled good naturedly, "That would be something."

Clara nodded, though she kept silent about the fact that the Captain HAD shown up to the school once before, pretended to be the physics substitute and nearly blown up the classroom, yes...best he not know that little detail, "Still, could be worse," she shrugged, "They could think that I had a thing for Adrian," she glanced over at said man, floppy brown hair, big bow-tie across his neck, reminding her a little too much of what the Doctor had looked like in his last incarnation, "I think he'd actually be relieved the kids think I'm with you than Adrian."

And it was true too, the man looked far too much like the Captain's father, it would be rather uncomfortable to have the children saying she was in love with Adrian than someone like Danny. She loved the Doctor's son, not the Doctor.

"Well I'll take that as a compliment then," Danny shrugged.

"Good," Clara glanced at him, "Because it is. Means that he approves of you," she told him, referring to the Captain, "He likes you Danny, and he trusts you too, trusts the both of us and I think that says a lot."

"It does," Danny agreed, knowing what some blokes could be like when their girl was friends with another guy. He liked that Captain Smith had a high enough opinion of him to be secure in the friendship he had with Clara. It was actually really refreshing to just be friends with someone instead of having that expectation that it should escalate to something more or even having that nagging worry and fretting and questioning of if it was something more or not. It was comfortable and he had fun with Clara, with Smith too when he was around, it was good to have friends.

"Ah, Miss Oswald, Mr. Pink," Armitage, one of the older staff members, turned to them, "Good, good, we're all here now, we can start the staff meeting…"

Clara and Danny shared a small snigger at that, Armitage wasn't quite in charge, but they'd been informed upon getting to the school that the Chairman, Ian Chesterton, who normally gave the '1st of the Month' staff meetings for the school, had requested Armitage lead the one for that day instead. Apparently he was in a very important meeting…

~8~

_A Short While Earlier..._

One Ian Chesterton was sitting at his desk, preparing his notes for the 1st of the Month meetings he usually held with the teachers of Coal Hill school, just giving them one more look through when a knock sounded on his office door, "Yes?" he called.

A young woman peeked her head in, "Mr. Chesterton? There's um…two people here to see you."

Ian frowned at that, "I don't have any meetings scheduled for this morning," he was quite sure of that, he always took care not to schedule any on the first till at least after lunch.

"Right, sir," the girl nodded, glancing over her shoulder, "But they're quite insistent that you'll want to see them."

Ian gave her an odd look but sighed, "Send them in then," he waved her off, starting to get up as the door opened wider, allowing a tall, man with graying hair and big bushy eyebrows to enter, a woman around the same age with long ginger hair in a nearly formal black and white outfit, a small boy in her arms that looked about two clinging to her a piece of her hair, "I'm sorry, but this will have to be quick," he began, moving towards them, "I have a meeting to attend fairly soon and…why are you staring at me?" he paused in his walk when he saw the man before him staring at his neck and glanced down, making sure he hadn't done up his tie wrong.

"I see you've finally replaced that old thing," the man spoke, "Black and Emerald, the school colors for Coal Hill. Sorry about destroying it, but it did save us finding out the water was acidic…"

Ian gaped at him, "I…beg your pardon?"

There was only one man in the world that could know about that, about how he'd lost his beloved tie…one person who would know that he HAD lost a tie to acidic water before.

"Tell me, Chesterfield," the man grinned, "Are you still a righteous young man?"

Ian started to smile, actually laughing, "Only if you're still a stubborn old man!" he eyed the man a moment, "Doctor?"

"Ha ha," the Doctor grinned, "Good man, good man," and stepped forward to shake Ian's hand tightly, "You haven't changed at all."

"Gotten older," Ian remarked, gesturing to his graying hair, "Though you've changed quite a bit as well I see."

"That I have, Chesterfield," he continued to misuse the man's name in nostalgia of past adventures, "That I have. Older, wiser, more handsome…"

"Bigger ego," the woman that had come with him remarked.

"I'm sorry," Ian turned to her, "Do forgive me, Ian Chesterton," he reached out to shake her hand.

"Evelyn Daniels," she introduced, "Please call me Evy."

Ian nodded, "And who is this dashing young man?" he waved at the little boy in her arms.

"Ah, that's LJ," the Doctor beamed, "Our son."

Ian's eyes widened at that as the Doctor stepped next to Evy and wound his arm around her waist, "Son?" he looked at Evy.

"It's good to meet you, Ian, I've heard…quite a lot about you," she told him, both literally heard it from the Doctor and gotten to know the man through his adventures with the Doctor through the Link.

"You're a…a Time Lady then?" he asked, still a bit in shock, he'd thought she was just the newest companion.

"I am," Evy laughed.

"Me too!" LJ called.

"Not a Time _Lady_ though, boyo," the Doctor ruffled LJ's hair, making him pout, "My little Time Lord."

Ian shook his head, beaming at them, "I never thought I'd see the day," he muttered, before another thought seemed to strike him, "What are you doing here?" he had to know, the Doctor never just turned up for a social visit, "Is there something going on? Is there a threat somewhere?"

"Yes and yes."

Evy shook her head, "Yes and NO," she stressed, "Because we plan to see the threat eliminated before anyone gets close to being harmed."

Ian nodded slowly at that, "And you've come to ME why?" he turned to the Doctor, "I'm not as spry as I once was, Doctor, I don't do adventures like this any longer. I'm just a simple chairman for a school…"

"And that's exactly what we need," the Doctor smiled.

Evy gave him a fond smile before turning to Ian, seeing the man looked confused, "We were wondering if you could provide us with a job at Coal Hill, anything at all."

"The threat is targeting the school?!" Ian gaped in alarm.

"No, no," the Doctor answered quickly, reaching out to take LJ from Evy without even looking as the boy started to tug on his coat, "But the school is the only suitably open and empty space in the area. We plan to lure the threat to the school…"

"AFTER hours," Evy added as the man looked about to have a heart attack at the thought of a threat being led to a school full of children.

"Yes, after it's empty," the Doctor agreed, setting LJ down as he wiggled, "And set up a small field to send the threat back to its proper time and place. But we need to have access to the school and a reason to be there after hours, which is why we need you to give us a position there, no matter how small or mind numbingly dull it is, so, if I must, I can bear the burden of headmaster."

Evy rolled her eyes at that, only the Doctor would find being a headmaster to be dull and small.

Ian observed them for a long moment, clearly debating allowing it or not.

"We have a son, Ian," Evy reminded him, "We have a child, we would never put any other child in danger, not for anything. We would make sure that no one is near the building when we take care of things."

"Yes, trust me," the Doctor nodded, "I'm the Doctor."

"That's probably exactly why I _shouldn't_ trust you," he muttered, though it was more of a jesting remark than serious, "Alright," he sighed, "I might be able to manage a position or two for you both, let me just…" he turned, about to search the system for Coal Hill on his computer and find any open spots, even temporary ones, when he stopped and gave a little laugh.

LJ had managed to crawl himself up onto the chair by the desk and had gotten a hold of a stamp pad he had, and proceeded to smash the inked stamp all over his notes for the staff meeting.

"Ooh sorry," Evy moved over to the desk, gently prying the stamp from LJ's hands, "Sorry about the mess…"

"It's no bother," Ian smiled fondly at the boy, "I've had children myself," he told them.

The Doctor's expression grew slightly saddened at that.

' _What is it?_ ' Evy spoke to him in his mind as she made her way over with LJ in her arms.

' _I knew he had children, had a family with Barbara,_ ' he told her, recalling a time when he'd been about to regenerate and Evy had taken him to look back on all his past companions to see how they were doing, ' _But I…I haven't…I couldn't…_ '

' _We'll change that,_ ' she promised, knowing that it had been hard for him to even look at them let alone introduce himself, get to know the families of the companions from his past, ' _When we finish here, we'll pop in to visit Ian AND his family too. Maybe for Christmas,_ ' she offered with a smile, ' _Could you imagine a better gift than meeting The Doctor?_ '

He started to grin at that, just a little smug, yes…maybe they would pop in for Christmas. Ian had been one of his first companions ever, he and Barbara, he had missed them, they deserved a little bit more than to have been dropped off and never see him again, all his companions did. He really would have to change that, the companions after the war shouldn't be given special treatment just because Evy wanted to keep in touch with them, HE should want to keep in touch too.

Maybe it was time for a change, LJ could always use more aunts and uncles in his book, the bigger the family the better.

' _Yes,_ ' he nodded, ' _I'd like that._ '

Evy smiled and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his lips, grinning more into it when she heard LJ go 'ick!' and cover his eyes.

~8~

Clara was nearly dying of boredom as she listened to Armitage drone on about things that they already knew. He was stumbling a bit through his lead of the meeting, having been emailed the notes Mr. Chesterton had wanted to go over and didn't really know exactly what the man wanted to discuss it seemed. Though, as luck would have it, it seemed he was nearing the end which was a blessing.

"Which means, Jo," he looked at one of the other teachers, "You'll have to cover for 8/4M in L3," he glanced at the notes a moment, "Hold on, there is just one more thing. Atif's off sick and Marian's requested a personal day, so we've got some newbies coming…" he blinked as there was a knock on the door, "Ah, here they are," he moved to open the door…and Clara's expression widened into shock as she saw the Doctor, wearing a long tan coat, and Evy with a white lab coat, standing there, LJ standing by Evy's legs, holding her hand while the Doctor had a broom in his.

"Hello," the Doctor smiled, "I'm the new caretaker, John Smith."

"And I'm filling in for Marian as nurse for the time, Evelyn Daniels," Evy added, "Please, call me Evy."

"Welcome to Coal Hill, Mr. Smith, Ms. Daniels," Danny greeted them with a grin.

"Just Evy," Evy repeated, making the Doctor snigger at the tightness in Evy's return smile, Ian had taken to doing the same when they'd left him, called her Ms. Daniels. It seemed this her still didn't like all the formalities of her name.

"Thanks," the Doctor looked at them, "Yes, John Smith's the name, much like the boyo here," he nodded at LJ, "He's a 'little' John Smith."

"LJ," Evy clarified.

"But, you know, here's a thing. Most people just call me the Doctor," he winked at Clara, "So, if anybody needs me, just, you know, give me a shout. I'll be in the storeroom just getting the lie of the land."

Evy didn't bother to explain where she'd be, it was rather obvious that the 'nurse' would be in the nurse's office. She had been hoping for the caretaker position, after all she had ample experience cleaning up after the Doctor's messes, and it would have made much more sense for the 'doctor' to be a nurse for the day…but the last thing she wanted was for the Doctor to start using alien medications and remedies on the children and blowing his cover. A broom and sweeping would help keep him occupied enough. LJ would be staying with her though, one small office instead of roaming the school and causing a mess just for the Doctor to clean it.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, pulling Evy's thoughts away as the teachers began to leave the staff room for some sort of assembly, "No body's taking any notice at all. Absolutely good news because it means I must be coming across just as an absolutely boring human being like you…"

"Going a bit far there dear," Evy murmured to him as Clara was forced out of the room with the other teachers though she was trying to stare at them as she went. She followed the teachers a moment, closing the door behind them and turning to him, "First rule of deep cover as a human, don't call them humans."

"Right," he nodded, taking her word for it. She DID have more experience blending in as a human than he did, he would listen to her and take her advice, "Have you got the plans?"

She nodded, walking back over to him and pulling a folded paper from her pocket, handing it to him to look at quickly, skimming and memorizing it before he crumpled it in a ball and put it in his pocket.

They looked over at the door, sensing Clara approaching, smiling when she entered the room once more, "So, you recognized us then?" the Doctor grinned.

"You're wearing different coats," Clara deadpanned, it wasn't exactly all that hard.

"But you saw straight through that."

"Anyone could, Doctor," Evy told him, taking off her coat and giving it to LJ as he started tugging on it, the boy squealing in excitement and tying the sleeves around his neck before he started running around the room, pretending it was a cape and he was a superhero.

Donna had returned the favor of when she'd made the ginger woman a cape and made a small one for LJ last they saw her, the boy would run around the TARDIS at times with it, it was adorable. He wanted to be a superhero like his father, which made her smile.

"Ok," Clara held up a hand, "Deep cover in my school? Why? Where's Atif, what have you done with him? And did Marian really take a personal day?"

"He's fine," the Doctor waved his hand.

"He's hypnotized," Evy clarified, "He thinks he's got the flu."

"Also a flying car and three wives," the Doctor added.

"Doctor, I told you to make it simple," Evy sighed.

"He lives simple every day," he argued, "I wanted to make it interesting."

Evy gave him a fond look for that, "I suppose it's better than having him win the lottery like everyone else," she glanced at Clara, "And yes, Marian was a stroke of luck."

Clara nodded slowly, glancing back behind her at the door and then stepping closer to them, "Is it other aliens?" she asked them quietly, "Is that why you're here? Are there other aliens around?"

"Besides us?" the Doctor tried to deflect, not wanting to get Clara caught up in all of this, they'd really been telling the truth when they told her they could handle it themselves and that they wanted to give her a break. If they didn't see to this now, then Clara would most certainly be involved later when the threat made its way to the school while it was during educational hours and they didn't want that.

"I think her saying 'other aliens' would mean not us," Evy told him.

"Right, well then no," he offered, leaning over to hand LJ his broom as the boy tried to pry it from his hands, chuckling as the boy decided that, instead of a superhero, he wanted to be Harry Potter as he was now 'flying' on a broomstick, "No other aliens in the school at the moment."

Clara's eyes narrowed at the 'at the moment,' but she left it for the moment, glancing between them, and then to LJ, "Are you sure you can do this?" she asked them, "I mean, Evy, yeah, but you Doctor?" she eyed him, "You cannot pass yourself off as a real person among actual people."

"I lived among otters once for a month," he defended, "Well, I sulked. Evy and I, we had a bit of a tiff and…"

"A bit of a tiff," Evy muttered, "You abandoned me on Earth for almost two hundred years."

"It was two weeks for you!"

"And I was pregnant!"

"That's not the point," Clara cut in, rubbing her head, just knowing this was going to get undoubtedly complicated, "Human beings are not otters, you can't compare the two."

"I agree, they're not otters," the Doctor nodded, "Which means it'll be even easier."

Clara gave him an unamused look at that response, but sighed, "Fine then, one question, just one," she turned right to Evy, knowing there was a better chance of her answering, "Are the kids safe?"

"Yes," Evy told her, crossing her hearts, "The children are safe and will be safe, but you have to let us do our investigations in peace, ok?"

"Now, pretend you don't know us," the Doctor shooed her towards the door, "Stay out of our way. Have your little break and leave this to US."

Evy shook her head as the Doctor nudged Clara into the hall and shut the door on her, "She's not going to do any of that."

"Yes," the Doctor sighed, "I'm fairly certain she won't either."

~8~

Clara sat with a small smile on her face as her class, though a bit bored, read aloud from Pride and Prejudice, one of the younger boys reading at the moment, "'Though unheard by Lydia, was caught by Elizabeth, and as it assured her that Darcy was not…'"

She looked up when she heard the window open to see the Doctor half hanging into the classroom while standing on a ladder and quickly stood, gaping at him, having half a mind to grab him by his ear and drag him into the classroom for a scolding, he was going to break his neck!

"You alright, Miss Oswald?" the boy who had been reading stopped.

"Yes, Kelvin, I'm fine," she answered, "You carry on," she offered as she made her way down the rows of students and towards the back as Kelvin began to read, only to be cut off when she hissed at the Doctor, trying to be quiet but, well, she had a voice to her and it tended to carry, "Can I help you, Mr. Smith?"

"Wrong," was all the Doctor said.

"What's wrong?" Clara shook her head.

"On the board," he pointed to where she'd written 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife, Jane Austen, 1797,' "Wrong. Wrong."

Clara eyed him a moment, starting to smile and leaned in, whispering, "Have you met her?" she asked, excited, "Is that how you know? You were there when she wrote it? Or did you say that quote by mistake? Like with Shakespeare?" that was her favorite story that Evy had told her, how he kept reciting Shakespeare TO Shakespeare, which had ended up getting written into his plays and things, "Or was it something Evy said? Or…"

"No, no," the Doctor laughed, "I read the book."

Clara gave him a look for that, crossing her arms.

"Oh alright, Evy read the book to LJ," he sighed, though he smiled, "I was listening. There's a bio in the back, Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1796."

"And that," Clara spun around, to face her class as they started to giggle at the fact that 'she'd gotten it wrong', "Is why you should pay attention," she pointed to the class, "How many of you actually read the bio like I assigned last night?" the class fell quiet, "Exactly, if any of you had, you would have known the date was wrong and pointed it out to me. Since none of you did, I can only assume you didn't do your proper reading, and you know what that means…" the class groaned, "You're going to have to write a one page paper summarizing the reading for tonight," she clapped her hands at that, just a moment before the bell rang, "Now, run along, off you pop."

"Very sneaky," the Doctor remarked casually.

Clara grinned at the compliment, waiting till the children had left before glancing over at him, "Ok, you need to get down now, you're making me nervous."

"I fly a wooden box though time and space and me standing on a ladder makes you nervous?" he lifted a brow at that.

"EVY helps you fly that box," Clara pointed out, leaning over to look down at the ground, "There's no one helping you with the ladder."

"Right," the Doctor nodded, starting to climb down.

Clara shook her head and headed for the door, if she was lucky she might be able to catch the Doctor in the courtyard where the ladder had been stored…

~8~

Evy smiled slyly as she watched the Doctor pouting and grumbling as he worked on a junction cabinet in the courtyard of the school. She had her elbow resting on top of it, casually watching him work and mutter to himself, while also keeping half an eye on her son as he sat in the middle of a circle of young girls all cooing over him, just as smug as his father always was when someone paid him attention and fussed over him. It had been…so boring, working in the nurse's office for the last few hours. It was an endless stream of 'I have a headache Miss' and 'My stomach feels weird Miss' and 'I have a paper cut Miss.' It was all relatively easy to deal with and nothing much happened. LJ had entertained himself with crayons and popsicle sticks and examining just about every other object in the room, but he was starting to get fussy so she decided to take her lunch break and take him to see his father…only for the girls of the school to go mad over the little boy on the way. LJ was entertained and within sight so she had no qualms letting the girls spend time with him while she saw to her Link.

He'd been about to use the sonic to fix the cabinet when she'd stopped him and handed him an ordinary screwdriver instead. He'd asked her to help, to fix the box instead, but she'd just reminded him that HE had wanted to be the caretaker, it was his job now. Two other teachers had come to join them though, one who looked remarkably like the Doctor's last incarnation, which she found quite amusing, and another black man in a pink shirt. They stopped in just to chat a bit, make them feel welcome, which was nice.

"Of course, Danny Pink here is your man," the Doctor-lookalike was smiling, nodding at the black man, who the Time Lords now realized was the infamous Danny Pink that Clara was friends with, "Five years' military experience, sergeant, here and Afghan, so electrics, boilers, if you need a hand, give him a shout."

"I…I've helped Atif with a couple of things," Danny said modestly as the lookalike seemed to spot a child doing something naughty and hurried off.

"I'm sure I won't need you, Sergeant," the Doctor waved him off, "Fully qualified," he winced as a spark shot out.

"Oh move over," Evy rolled her eyes, pulling a ribbon off her wrist an tying her hair back, leaning in to start working on the cabinet herself, reaching back to pluck the screwdriver from the Doctor's hands in the process.

"Well, SHE'S fully qualified," the Doctor shrugged, stepping back to give her room, "Fixes all sorts of things for me," he glanced at Danny, "You best get back to your PE class."

"Oh, I teach maths," Danny corrected.

"Do you?"

"Yeah."

"But you're a soldier."

"I was," Danny agreed, shifting a bit, "Now I'm a maths teacher."

"You any good at it?"

"I like to think so."

"Ever heard of Recreational Mathematics?"

Danny smiled, "No. How's that work though?"

The Doctor just opened his mouth to tell him what it entailed, when Clara hurried over, seeming a bit flustered and out of breath, "Er, excuse me," she cut in, "Mr. Pink, I think class 9M4 are waiting."

"Yes, you better run along, Sergeant," the Doctor nodded, half-shooing the man away, Danny giving Clara a small wave as he left.

"So," Evy smiled as she closed the cabinet and turned to face Clara, "That's Mr. Pink?"

"Yeah," Clara nodded, really wishing she hadn't got caught up by Armitage and two other students on the way over, she hoped the Doctor hadn't said anything odd…or rude…or both. But with Evy there she hoped it hadn't been too bad, "And, speaking of, he remind you of anyone?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head.

"Really?" Clara gave him a look, "Not even Colonel Orson Pink? The guy we met at the end of the universe?"

"Oh, yeah," the Doctor nodded, "Ok, yeah. Same name, doesn't look anything like him though."

"Looks very like him."

"Does he? I don't know."

Clara blinked, realizing he wasn't joking, he was actually being very serious, "You…you really can't tell?"

"Humans," the Doctor shrugged, "Eventually all of them tend to look the same."

"We have a lot of space in our brains, Clara," Evy explained what the Doctor was failing to do, "We can't spend all our time memorizing the features of every single human we even pass by on the streets."

"Yes," the Doctor pointed, "It's far more efficient to remember the ones that stick around, the ones we have time to get to know, which…at the moment…we don't," he turned and opened the cabinet, sliding a small pod with three green lights shining from it into the box before shutting it, "And besides, he's not my Link or my son," the Doctor added, he didn't really LOOK at people, notice them in that sense unless it was Evy, and once he looked at her, why bother with anyone else? They'd never measure up anyway.

"Ok, but so far," Clara continued, "What do you think of Danny so far? Nice?"

"He's fine Clara," Evy laughed, "But you don't need our approval to have friends or need us to approve of who your friends are."

"I know, it's just…" Clara sighed, "I don't…I don't want you to think that…that he and I, when the Captain and I are…and…you know?"

"No," the Doctor said, "I don't have a clue what you're going on about."

And with that he walked past her over to LJ, scooping the boy up and into his arms a moment, shooing the girls that had gathered around his son away to go to class.

"Evy?" Clara turned to her, needing to know that Evy understood at least, she knew she hadn't made it easy to understand, but she didn't know how to say what she was thinking…she didn't think she actually wanted to voice it out loud.

"I do understand, Clara," Evy stepped closer, putting a hand on Clara's shoulder, "None of us are worried or concerned, not for Danny being a human, nor your friend. We know how a Link works," she reminded the girl, "We know how you feel about our son, we trust you."

Clara let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, smiling, relieved, at Evy, "Thank you," she breathed, "I wasn't sure that…that you would approve of it."

"The Doctor regularly takes on humans for companions," she added, "We have no qualms with humans as friends or companions alike. It's good to have friends, of all species really."

"Good," Clara nodded, "Good, I'm really glad that you're both ok with me and Danny being friends."

"It is your life Clara and who you're friends with is up to you, we don't have a say."

"I know, I just…it makes me feel less guilty about enjoying spending time with Danny and talking about mundane things like lesson plans or disruptive students."

Evy chuckled at that, "I get that. At first, when the Doctor Linked to me, he was a little worried about taking another human along as a companion. He felt guilty that his adventures had kept him from being around to Link to me, that it might seem like he preferred humans to me. He wanted it to be just us for a while, but eventually he did take another human as a companion and another and he'll do the same in the future. I don't think less of him nor do I want him to feel guilty for doing so. I rather enjoy them too," she gave Clara a look, "What does the Captain think of Danny?"

"He likes him," Clara smiled, more in thought of her Link than that he accepted Danny's friendship, "He trusts him, trusts me."

"Then that's all that matters."

"Yeah," Clara nodded, happy that that one concern had been put into the 'resolved' pile now, it was a weight off her chest to know that the Doctor and Evy didn't think less of her for being friends with another bloke while she was technically dating their son, their future son. She would have hated for them to be cross with her or suspicious of her or think that she could ever pick Danny over the Captain, she loved him, she did, so much, she couldn't imagine any other man for her now that she'd met him.

Danny was a friend, a good friend, and that was all, and that was good.

"Clara!" someone called, making the women look over to see the Doctor-lookalike heading over, "Got this period free, yes?"

"Sorry," she gave Evy a look, "Give me a mo?"

Evy nodded, "Go, we'll be in the storeroom," she gave Clara a meaningful look, Clara nodding slightly understanding that there was a reason they were going back there instead of the nurse's station and turned to hurry off to her fellow teacher.

Evy turned and looked at the Doctor, holding LJ in his arms…and explaining to him what a screwdriver was. She shook her head and walked over to them, "Come on you two," she smiled at them, "We still have things to do before the period ends and LJ and I have to get back to the nurse's office."

"Yes," the Doctor sighed, but turned to leave the courtyard, "You know, next time we infiltrate a school, I think our boy should be MY assistant for the day."

Evy gave him an amused look, "Next time we infiltrate a school, hopefully he'll be old enough to infiltrate the student body," she pointed out.

The Doctor grinned, thinking of that, of how many more bases they could cover with three of them active and working about. He reached into his pocket and slipped one of the small pods with the green lights from it, stashing it in a light fixture as they went, repeating the same thing with different hiding areas till they reached the storeroom door. He paused as he saw a window just across from it with 'Ozzie loves the Squaddie' written on it in graffiti.

"What does that mean?" the Doctor frowned, reaching out a handkerchief to wipe it off.

"Absolutely nothing," Evy mused, "Kids," she muttered, shaking her head at them, they loved to see things that weren't there and gossip, didn't they?

The Doctor grumbled something about kids under his breath as well, finishing up cleaning the window before they turned and headed into the storeroom, slipping one last pod into a hanging, potted plant just outside the door. It was a bit of a cluttered room, full of supplies like paper and cleaning chemicals and paper towels, some tools lying about. It would probably have much more room to maneuver if the TARDIS hadn't been parked right in the center of the room.

"Ok," the Doctor grinned at the sight of the box, "Now we're in business eh boyo?" he smiled at LJ, "Let's see the lie of the land. Time to see what's going on."

Evy stepped over, running her finger down the lock of the TARDIS door before pushing it open, stepping into the box and heading for the console where a few more green pods were sitting, bringing the monitor up while the Doctor set LJ down by his toys.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall," the Doctor moved over to her, winding his arms around her as she got the program running, "Who's the most dangerous of them all?"

"You," Evy answered.

"Hmm…" the Doctor considered it, "No, no I think it's you dear."

"Mmm no," Evy shook her head, "Let's go with River."

He laughed, "River it is then, though I think Donna could give her a run for her money when she's cross."

Evy had to smile at that, "We should go visit them too," she remarked, "Actually, we should probably have one big party one day, all the companions we can manage all together," she turned in his arms, "Just imagine the stories they could tell our son about you."

The Doctor made a face at that, "On second thought, maybe my method of leaving the past in the past is best."

"When have you EVER left the past in the past?" Evy challenged with a laugh.

He opened his mouth to respond when there was a knock on the TARDIS door and a child called out, "There's been a spillage in Geography! I need some paper towels!"

The Doctor sighed at that, rolling his eyes at the timing of humans, and headed for the door, stepping out to deal with the child outside, but leaving the door open a crack so Evy could hear them, "Can't you read?"

"Course I can read. Read what?"

"The door. It says, Keep Out."

"No, it says, Go Away Humans."

Evy let out a little breath at that, "Oh Doctor," she muttered, moving to get the program they were working on for the pods up on the monitor as the Doctor's voice faded, walking farther from the doors, when she felt a tug on her pants. She looked down to see LJ there staring up at her, "Oh, hello love," she leaned down to pick him up, "You want to help mummy?"

"Yes!" LJ cheered, "What are you doing?"

"Well, these," she picked up one of the pods, "Are going to help daddy and I make a portal to send another alien somewhere else."

"What one?" LJ blinked at her.

"A bad one."

"We're…helping?"

"Yes," Evy smiled, "Yes we are, we're going to help keep the humans safe and send the bad alien where it can't hurt anyone. But if it finds out what we're doing, it'll try to hurt us, so we have to be sneaky about it," she tapped his nose.

"Like daddy!" he beamed, "Speech?!"

Evy had to laugh at that, "Perhaps," she nodded, "He may give an 'epic speech,' we'll just have to be patient and see."

"Yay!" LJ cheered.

"You do love your father's speeches, don't you?"

"Yes, yes! The best!"

Evy smiled fondly at him, "I bet you want to be just like your daddy when you get older," LJ nodded excitedly at the prospect, "Well don't forget your dear old mum, ok? Try to be a little like me too."

"Ok mummy," he leaned in and hugged her tightly…till another voice drifted over to them from the doorway.

"…don't know anything because you haven't told me anything, not really," the voice sighed, "Which means I probably wouldn't approve, which means you might actually end up endangering this school and…"

LJ quickly jerked back with a cry of, "Clara!" before he wiggled in her arms and she set him down, laughing as he ran for the doors just as Clara and the Doctor stepped in, "Clara!" he hugged her legs tightly, making her smile and laugh.

"Ooh, hello LJ," she hugged the boy before standing, LJ rushing over, back to his mother and gesturing for her to lift him so he could help, "So," she looked between the two Time Lords, "What actually IS happening?" she got to the point, "What is it that you're trying to do and why the school?"

"I thought you wanted to take a break?" the Doctor countered, moving over to Evy's side and picking up one of the pods to flash with his sonic.

"I do," Clara agreed, "But it seems like, just because I haven't gone on an adventure with you, you brought the adventure to me."

"That's not what we did Clara," Evy shook her head, "We really CAN handle this just the two of us."

"Ok," Clara sighed, "But can you at least clue me in on what you're planning?"

The Doctor glanced at Evy before nodding, flicking his sonic on at the console and creating a holographic projection between the three of them and Clara, it was of an alien, clear enough, it seemed almost like a robot with spider-like legs and guns where the arms should be.

Clara blinked at that, before frowning, trying to identify it, but…there wasn't anything coming up in her mind about it, "Ok…" she sighed in defeat, "That is?"

"A Skovox Blitzer," Evy said.

"Bad, bad, bad," LJ pouted at it, making the adults smile a bit.

"It is bad boyo," the Doctor agreed, "One of the deadliest killing machines ever created. Probably homed in here because of Artron emissions. You've had enough of them in this area over the years."

"I wonder what that might have been," Evy gave him a look for that.

"Not a clue," he went on, "There's enough explosive in its armory to take out the whole planet."

"And you can't leave it alone because…" Clara trailed off.

"Because there's too great a chance someone will stumble across it and, if they provoke it, even inadvertently, it will attack," Evy explained, "And it won't stop."

"Ok," Clara took a breath, digesting that, "And the plan that involves the school is?" but the Doctor just held up his wrist and pointed to a watch on it, "I'm going to need a cheat sheet…"

The Doctor smiled at that, knowing he'd used that same expression before, and so he pushed a button on it, disappearing entirely.

"Invisibility," Clara blinked, starting to laugh in awe, "That's incredible!"

"Daddy!" LJ called, starting to swat the air…his little hand coming in contract with something.

"Ow!" the Doctor cried, reappearing with a hand to his nose, though he didn't look upset, but was grinning with pride, "Good shot boyo! Just like your mum!"

"I have yet to really whack you in this body, dear," Evy chuckled.

"Your last two though," he let out a whistle at that before wiggling his nose and flexing his jaw to get the feeling back in his face, "You violent, violent woman, corrupting our son like that."

Evy leaned in and gave him a peck for his idiocy, "You've corrupted him from in the womb, or have you forgotten your epic speeches," she winked, making him grin smugly at that.

"Ok," Clara nodded, "So the invisibility is to, what, get close to the Blitzer?"

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at her, "I get close, give the Blitzer a tiny whiff of non-threatening alien tech," he wiggled the sonic, "I lead it back here, but I don't want it to scan me, hence invisible."

"And that's where the school comes in," Clara murmured, "So what have you done to the school that's made it the place to be? And why here?"

"It's large and empty after a certain time," Evy answered, "We've set up these," she held up a pod to show Clara.

"Time mine!" LJ reached for it, Evy letting him take it as it wasn't set yet or active.

"Very good boyo!" the Doctor ruffled LJ's hair, making him pout for it.

"They're Chronodyne Generators," Evy added, "We're putting them around the school to form a field. Once we turn them on, it'll create a vortex that will send the Blitzer forward in time and decommission it at the same time."

"Wow," Clara stared at them, "You…actually DO have this planned out," she started to frown, "You really don't need my help."

"Not at the mo, no," the Doctor nodded, taking the pod from LJ and setting it down, "You just let us know when you're done with your break Clara and then we'll come round and go somewhere. Ooh, Ancient Egypt," he smiled at Evy, "Crocodilopolis?" he leaned into whisper to LJ, "They worship a big crocodile there, so the name is a useful coincidence."

"Go on Clara," Evy smiled at her, "We do have this covered, we'll be fine. Just give us a call when you're ready and we'll pop in, ok?"

Clara shifted a bit, not wanting to admit that she would have really liked to be a part of that adventure at the moment…but another part reminding her she HAD been about to ask them for a break and they were giving her one, "Ok," she nodded, but pointed at them as she started to walk backwards towards the doors, "But be careful, yeah?"

"Always," the Doctor nodded…which didn't reassure Clara at all.

"I promise Clara," Evy offered instead, "We'll be fine."

"Yes, what could possibly go wrong?"

Evy just started laughing.

~8~

Evy was infinitely thankful that LJ had gotten so excited to be in the nurse's office earlier, that the children of the school had been so kind to the boy despite him being younger than the lot of them. All of it had tired her son out so much that he'd fallen asleep before she'd even got him to his room. He would be Mr. Grumpy Pants when he woke up to find that, not only had he missed a bedtime story, but that he'd missed another dangerous adventure to stop. But she was rather glad he was asleep now, she did NOT want him to be caught anywhere near a Skovox Blitzer, they would kill anything, even a child.

She moved over to the console, to the monitor, checking the Doctor's progress. He was reading invisible and was making his way through a building that was listed as abandoned according to the TARDIS. She wasn't happy that the Doctor had gone out to lure the Blitzer to the school, but she understood, one of them should stay there to ensure that everything was going to go smoothly for once. They both fully understood that this was a school, this was where children came, it was a safe place and should remain so. They HAD to get the Blitzer dealt with now, for the children, and that meant it had to go well and to plan for it to happen.

She switched the feed, seeing the Doctor heading out of the building, another energy signal, the Blitzer, following him, and moved to double check the different Chronodyne generators that they'd set up.

"No," her eyes widened, "You've got to be kidding me!" she muttered, shaking her head and pulling out her sonic, running out of the doors of the TARDIS, out the storeroom, and out into the hall, flicking her sonic on. According to the scan a little less than half the generators had been taken offline!

"No, no, no, no, no," she ran down the hall, her sonic picking up a trace of them.

She skid around a corner, nearly sliding on the floor, when she crashed into someone running down the hall.

"Doctor!" she gasped.

"Run!" he cut in, grabbing her hand and pulling her off, towards the auditorium where they'd set up for the generators to activate and open the vortex that would send the Blitzer home.

"No, Doctor, you don't understand!" she told him.

He threw the doors to the room open and stopped short when he saw a ring of chairs each with a generator on them…all their lights red instead of green like they were meant to be, "What?! Red!"

"Someone's taken the generators offline," she told him, running over to the chairs and scanning them, hoping there might still be enough power around the school to activate them if they just short circuited them or gave them a boost or something.

"Then we need to go!" the Doctor ran after her, grabbing her by the shoulders to pull her away, "Evy we have to go!" he told her as she struggled, "The Blitzer is…"

He was cut off by the doors to the auditorium being thrown open, what looked like a half robot with spider legs entering, guns where its arms should be, making their hearts stop as it turned to them.

"Here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, next chapter we get the infamous Danny Meltdown }:) I'm really excited to go through the event with Danny though, to show what he's thinking and how Clara reacts and well...some hard truths come out }:)
> 
> Next chapter...a realization is made, someone's forgetting something, and a rather irate little boy has a biting problem }:)


	12. The Caretaker and the Nurse (Part 2)

"Range 1.49 scan complete: problem," the Blitzer scuttled closer to them, "Problem."

The Doctor quickly stepped in front of Evy, his hands held up, only for her to move beside him, facing down the Blitzer with him, "Listen," he called, "We're unarmed. We're peaceful. Don't you understand? I…I know that you shouldn't be on this planet but we can help you with that. We…"

"Problem solution," the Blitzer cut in, its eyes flashing red, "Destroy!"

"Always with the destroying," Evy muttered just as the doors to the side of the room opened once more and Danny strode in, one of the generators in his hand.

"I want a word with you," the boy began, not seeming to have noticed the Blitzer with his focus on the Doctor and Evy.

"Get back!" Evy shouted to him, seeing the Blitzer turning on the human.

"Problem solution: destroy!" it lifted its arms and began to fire at Danny who threw himself down to the ground, the Doctor and Evy ducking behind the chairs, dropping low as well.

However, behind the chairs was likely not the best place as Danny dropped the crhronodyne generator, causing it to slide across the room and into the circle that the chairs created, turning all the red lights on their own pods green, setting off a golden vortex of energy.

"Danny don't!" Evy warned as Danny scrambled to his feet, grabbing one of the chairs to use like a lion tamer, trying to goad the Blitzer back, and only succeeding in releasing the vortex into the room.

"No!" Danny shoved the chair out at the Blitzer, "Get away from me!" he fell back as the chair was sucked into the swirling vortex which was growing bigger and bigger with every second.

The Doctor quickly pulled out his sonic and held it up, flashing the generators and then the Vortex, using the frequency to shove the vortex towards the Blitzer, sucking it towards it as well as Danny.

"Temporal disrupt!" the Blitzer flailed, struggling to fight against the pull of the vortex winds, "Warning! Warning! Temporal failure!"

"Clara!" the Doctor yelled, spotting Clara rushing in through the same doors Danny had, "Get him!"

Clara gave a nod and ran to try and hold Danny from sliding any farther.

"Warning! System failure! Abort. Abort."

"No!" Evy threw out her hands, focusing as much as she could while still trying to keep herself from being sucked in as well, using her power to knock the Blitzer to the side, half-throwing it into the vortex before collapsing to the ground, the Blitzer was nearly entirely metal, a heavily armored, dense metal. It had taken a good deal of effort to shove it enough for the vortex to catch it.

The Doctor turned the sonic on the generators, cutting off the signals and turning it back to red lights, the vortex dying out the second the lights changed. He spun on his heel, falling to his knees and taking Evy's face in his hands, his eyes searching hers as she winced, pressing a hand to her head. He moved his thumb towards her nose, brushing the smallest trace of blood that had only started to fall before it could truly leave a red stain under her nose. He let out a breath and leaned in more, hugging her tightly, crushing her to him in relief that they hadn't gotten sucked in and that she was ok, relatively speaking. She'd have a rather bad migraine after taxing herself like she had, but she was alive and she'd be ok in a few days.

"Is that it?" Clara's voice panted over to them, "Is it over? Did you do it?"

The Doctor's gaze, instead of resting on Clara, turned instead to the rather shell-shocked boy in front of her, Danny Pink panting and staring at where the vortex had been. He stood quickly, helping Evy up, allowing her to brace herself on a chair before he strode forward and scooped up the generator that Danny had dropped, glaring at the boy, "Oh, oh, well done, PE, brilliant work!" he snapped, feeling his hearts racing and clenching at the fear he'd experienced seeing the Blitzer there with his Link right beside him and their entire plan falling through, leaving them both vulnerable, "What's this? A chronodyne generator? I'll just deactivate that, shall I? I've got a swimming certificate so that qualifies me to meddle with higher technology. Never mind that some people are actually trying to _save the planet_! Oh, no. There's only room in my head for cross-country and the offside rule!"

Clara shook her head at the Doctor's words, though she couldn't reprimand him for them, she had seen what it felt what it was like when your Link was in danger, that dark place you went in your head, the fear crippling your hearts, she couldn't fault him for snapping at Danny. She gathered enough from the other words he'd spoken to realize that Danny had done something that had put a wrench in their plans, had disrupted them and kept it from working. Even without realizing it, Danny had put them all in danger and touched things he shouldn't have.

"Danny," she sighed, looking at him, "What are you doing here?"

Danny swallowed, turning to her, shaking, "I was checking up on _him_ ," he threw a small, angry look at the Doctor, "He's been up to something, fiddling with the electric, but what the…" he closed his eyes, shaking his head, "No. What?" he looked at Clara, "Did you _see_ that thing? Tell me you saw that thing!"

Clara nodded slowly, seeing him getting more frantic, "I saw the thing, yeah," she said calmly, pushing herself up to stand, glancing at the Doctor and Evy, the man reaching up to massage Evy's temples a bit as the woman stood with her eyes closed, her face scrunched in pain, "Are you alright, Evy?"

"I'll be fine Clara," Evy let out a breath, reaching up to take one of the Doctor's hands, holding it instead of letting him continue his ministrations, "Just…had to use more force than I thought I would."

"Right," she looked at the Doctor next, "And Doctor, are we safe? Is the planet safe? It's gone?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, for the moment," the Doctor threw another angry look at Danny, the boy still on the ground, looking around the room, his eyes fixated on a space off by a stack of chairs, the wall on fire from where the Blitzer had blasted, "But the thing is, you see, the chronodyne generators have to be _precisely aligned_ to generate the vortex."

Clara's eyes widened as she realized what he was saying in how he was gripping the one he'd taken off the floor tightly, holding it up for her to see, "And Danny moved one…" she breathed, "And that means…" her face scrunched slightly, working it out, "It's going to come back, isn't it?"

"Yes," Evy nodded, wincing at the action and stopping quickly, bringing up her free hand to press it to her forehead, "The vortex would still take the Blitzer to the future, just not as far as we planned."

"How far did the chronodyne send it?"

The Doctor scanned the pod in his hand a moment, his frown growing more pronounced, "74 hours. Three days?" he nodded, "Three days to think of something new because _now_ it knows what to expect! Now it has scanned us both," he gestured at himself and Evy, "And it will kill us on sight, thanks to PE here. So thank you, SO much, for endangering my LINK!" the Doctor nearly spat at him.

Evy reached out and put a hand on his arm to calm him, but he was beyond calm, some stupid little ape had just put his Link, the woman he loved, the mother of his child in danger, true life-threatening danger, he would NOT be calm!

"Clara," Danny called, frowning at her, finally pulling his attention away from the wall to stare at her, at how the three of them were speaking, "Why are you talking to them like that? Why are you using words like…chronodyne?" he shook his head, "Was that thing a space thing?" and then his eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet, taking a step away from her, "Oh. Oh, my God, you're from space! You're a spacewoman. You said you were from _Blackpool_."

Clara looked over at the Doctor and Evy and back at Danny, knowing that there was absolutely nothing she could say to defend against that, there was no believable excuse that Danny would fall for, not after all the ridiculous things she'd had to use in the past, Danny might have let the others slide, but he wasn't stupid, he would know she was lying to his face if she tried this time.

"I AM from Blackpool," Clara began.

But Danny snorted, "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I'd be willing to take a number on it," the Doctor muttered.

"Doctor," Evy shook her head at him.

Danny glared at the Doctor for that remark, but focused on Clara, "I'm not a moron, Clara. I can tell she's not a real nurse. And he's not the caretaker. Let me guess, they're…they're your family. He's your dad. Your space-dad."

"Ew!" Clara's face scrunched at the thought, "Oh god no, no he's not my dad. No, not a space-dad either. Though…" she paused to consider it a moment, "Father-in-law, maybe, but not for a VERY long time…"

"What are you _talking_ about?!" Danny shook his head, completely lost.

The Doctor and Evy glanced at each other for his reaction. They'd guessed that Clara hadn't told Danny about her time as a time traveler or that she was an alien. She was trying to find a balance with her life, keep ties to her human life as a teacher at Coal Hill while also learn about being Time Lord during their adventures. They just wanted her to be comfortable and do whatever gave her that, if playing human while teaching did it then they were not going to judge. Clara was...a special case after all. They didn't fault her for not telling Danny, plenty of past companions had kept their travels a secret from their families and friends. Rose had kept it secret, Martha, Donna, Rory...they all hadn't been completely honest with their own families, they doubted any of them would be that honest with their friends or coworkers either especially if it also involved having to tell them she wasn't human anymore but an alien, they were content to know that Clara hadn't kept Danny as equal a secret from them as she had them to him. It was up to Clara when she told anyone or who she told or how much. But even they could tell this was NOT how she'd likely planned to tell him, if she had planned to tell the boy at all.

' _Clara,_ ' Clara looked over at Evy, hearing the woman's voice in her head, ' _Do you want us to get the Memory Worm? Or…hypnotize him to forget this? I doubt this is the way you wanted him to find out,_ ' she reasoned, ' _We can give you another chance with telling him…_ '

Clara sighed but shook her head, swallowing hard.

"What?" Danny looked between them, seeing something pass, "What is it? What just happened? Is anyone going to explain anything?!"

"Danny," Clara turned to him, "This is…this is the Doctor and Evy," she gestured to them.

"And who are they?" Danny frowned, trying very hard to be calm but this was just…so far out there he truly had no idea what was going on at all.

"They're…" she hesitated, before letting out a resigned breath, best to get it all out there, rip the band aid off, "They're the Cap'n's parents."

"What?"

"My…my boyfriend, the Cap'n, the one you met when we all had drinks, they're his parents," she nodded at the duo.

"Why didn't you mention that before?" Danny sighed, at least he could be relieved that they weren't aliens, they were just the future-in-laws, NOW he understood her comment, and…

"Because they're aliens," Clara winced at having to tell him all of that, "They're aliens, and so is the Cap'n."

"You're dating an alien?" he gaped at her.

"It's a bit more complicated and serious than that," Clara tried to joke, to lighten the mood, but Danny was having none of it.

"And you? Are _you_ an alien?"

"That's…that's actually even more complicated."

"What's complicated about it!?" he snapped, "You either are or you aren't! You're human or you aren't."

"I was human, but now I'm not."

"I don't understand," Danny shook his head, "None of this makes sense!"

"I was born human, this…this me, right in front of you, I was born human, I was from Blackpool," she glanced at the Time Lords but they were silent, allowing her to reveal as much as she wanted to though she could tell from how they were closely watching Danny that if his reaction didn't pass their expectations then they would likely use the Memory Worm on him regardless of her wishes, so she had to make him understand, "I started to travel with Evy and the Doctor, we travelled through time and space in a spaceship/time machine called a TARDIS, it…it looks like a blue police telephone box, one of the old ones from the 60s or something, and it's bigger on the inside than the out," she closed her eyes a moment realizing how ridiculous that sounded, but she pushed on, "And we travel the universe in it. The three of us and LJ and…there was trouble once, not long ago, the Doctor and Evy and LJ and the Cap'n, they were all in danger and they were dying and I had to save them and…and doing it, it made me into one of them, it made me a Time Lady, like Evy."

"You're completely barmy," Danny stated.

"I know it sounds completely mad, but it's the truth," Clara swore, crossing her hearts out of a newfound habit, which just seemed to further annoy Danny to see.

"So that thing," Danny turned his gaze at the Time Lords, "You brought that here?"

"Not exactly," Evy sighed, leaning on the Doctor more as he wound and arm tighter around her, "We were trying to protect you lot FROM it."

"You said it was coming back!" Danny accused.

"Yes, it is coming back," the Doctor's eyes narrowed at the tone the boy was taking with his Link, "Thanks to _you_ ," he reminded Danny.

Danny shook his head and looked at Clara, realizing that she shouldn't be there. There was no reason for her to be there if she wasn't investigating the Doctor…unless she knew, unless she was a part of this, "And you agreed to it?" he sounded disgusted at that, "This is a _school_. Children are here and you…" he cut off, trying to focus on something more important, like safety, "We have to evacuate, call the Army!"

"The Army would be the absolute worst people to call," Evy deadpanned, "This is an alien threat, you have to call an alien authority on it. Torchwood, UNIT…"

"Well then get one of them over here!"

"You HAVE one Danny," Clara tired to tell him, "The Doctor and Evy, there's no greater authority on aliens. Trust me."

"Really?" Danny scoffed, "Trust YOU? After you lied to me this entire time?" he shook his head.

"Look, Clara," the Doctor turned to her, "Take him away. Shut him up, shut him down. Up or down, it doesn't matter to me. Evy and I have now got a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it in even with a time machine."

Clara frowned at that, "Will you be ok? I can help, maybe…"

"Why wouldn't we be ok?" the Doctor nearly rolled his eyes, "We were fine till you two blundered in."

"Don't blame this on Clara," Evy cut in, "She didn't know Danny was here any more than we did."

"Am I just being ignored?" Danny spoke up.

Clara sighed, "Wish me luck?"

"Good luck," Evy smiled at her, shooing her off.

Clara nodded and turned, moving towards Danny, "Come on, Danny."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Danny jerked back from when she reached out to him.

"Come with me and I'll explain everything," she offered.

Danny frowned at that, glancing at the Doctor and Evy before huffing and stalking out of the room, leaving Clara to follow after him, allowing the Time Lords to finish their work.

"How do you think it will go?" the Doctor asked her.

Evy snorted at that, "About as well as it did when Jackie found out about you."

"So prepare for UNIT to storm us then?"

"Sounds about right."

~8~

Clara stood before Danny in his classroom, her arms crossed as he leaned against his desk, rubbing his forehead, trying to absorb everything she'd told him.

She'd explained how the Doctor and Evy had appeared on her doorstep once upon a time, saved her life from the wi-fi, how they'd flown off and seen different worlds and times. She'd told him about running into the Captain, how they'd flirted and fallen in love. She'd told him about how an old enemy had targeted the Doctor, had tried to go back in time and kill him before he could do any of the wonderful things he'd done to save the Universe a hundred times over. She'd explained how she'd used the same process as their enemy, and how it had scattered her through time, scattered her right back to the Doctor's beginnings as an alien on his planet and how the entire thing had allowed her to reform as an alien when it was over. She'd gone on to describe the adventures she'd had with the Time Lords since then, all those odd excuses she'd given him now having an explanation to them.

"So?" Clara eyed him, "What do you think?" but Danny was silent, "Say something."

"So…there're these two aliens," Danny began slowly, trying to see if he understood everything, "One that used to look like Adrian and another that was a cowgirl. Then he turned into a Scottish caretaker and she turned into a gangster nurse and every now and then, no," he frowned, "Just about every second you're not at the school, you elope with them."

"I elope with the Cap'n," she corrected instantly, before her eyes widened and a blush colored her cheeks, "I mean, I don't…I'm not…we're not…I…" she sighed, "I have more adventures with him, yeah. But…he's my Link, like Evy is to the Doctor. He doesn't like being away from me any more than I do being away from him."

Danny eyed her a moment for that, for the look on her face when she talked about the man, "He's your alien soulmate, that bloke I met in the pub, he was an alien the entire time, like you were," he sighed, rubbing a hand down his face…when another thought hit him, "Hold on. Captain Jonathan Smith, that's the name you gave me for him. But that kid, that one that showed up with the Doctor and Evy, he was John Smith too," it became clear that the boy was both the new caretaker and nurse's child despite his parents having two different last names, something like that had spread through the school quickly.

Clara winced at that, she had hoped he wouldn't make that connection, "Yeah…" she mumbled, "Um…LJ IS the Cap'n."

"Come again?" Danny blinked.

Clara sighed, "LJ is the Doctor and Evy's son and, in…a few centuries," she gave him an apologetic smile for that, "He'll grow up and he'll be the Cap'n, MY Cap'n."

Danny shook his head, rolling his eyes to the ceiling as though asking for guidance or strength, or something else Clara wasn't sure she wanted to know, but he let out a huff of breath and looked at her, "Why are you telling me any of this Clara?" he asked, "Why bother? You've been lying to me from the start, why change now? Couldn't you have just used some sort of alien thing to make me forget?"

Clara gave a small laugh at that, "Evy offered to, but…" she sighed, "I…you're my _friend_ , Danny, my…my only friend, really. My only human friend," she smiled sadly at that, "I didn't want to lie to you in the first place, but I didn't know how you'd react. People haven't always been understanding about aliens in the past and I wasn't going to risk the Doctor or Evy or anyone's safety just because I found a friend. But the more I got to know you the more I wanted to tell you, the more I actually…wanted to ask you to come with us."

"With you?" Danny frowned at that.

"With the Cap'n and I, like…like our companion, see the Universe up close, travel in time, have adventures," she smiled at the thought, "I was going to ask the Cap'n first, see what he thought, and then maybe the two of us could talk to you about it. I…I wasn't expecting you to confront the Doctor or get caught in the Blitzer's crossfire, and for that I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"So you wanted me to travel with you, like you did with the Doctor and Evy before you turned alien?" he sounded uncomfortable with the idea which made Clara's hearts drop, "And what? Turn me into an alien too? Did you _really_ hate being human so much that you had to change everything you are to be like them?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," she defended, "I didn't know that stepping in that Time Tunnel would turn me into a Time Lady, Danny. I had no idea that would happen. But it did, and now I'm trying to understand what that means, I'm trying to learn how to be a proper Time Lady."

Danny looked at her a long while at that, his expression so sad that it actually started to worry Clara what he was thinking, "You don't even see it, do you?"

"See what?"

"You're trying _so hard_ to be a Time Lady thing that you're starting to forget what it means to be human."

Clara's mouth dropped open at that, feeling like he'd just slapped her in what he'd said, but all Danny did was get up and walk out of the room, leaving her with tears gathering in her eyes.

~8~

Clara stood outside the Caretaker's storeroom with Danny before her. The man had given her the silent treatment all day, but she'd finally gotten him to agree to speak with her with her relentless pestering. It probably helped that the Doctor and Evy had been scarce the entire day, the Doctor making sure to be elsewhere whenever Danny was nearby, as per her request that they give him time to process everything she'd told him.

"Thank you," Clara began, "For meeting me."

"What do you want, Clara?" Danny frowned.

"I want you to talk to the Doctor and Evy," she said, "They can explain things better than I can. Just…just give them a chance to talk, to tell you a little about them, about all of this, about the Blitzer and…"

"We don't have time," he argued, "It's Parents' Evening," it was a time when all the parents of the children would be in the school to meet with the teachers and get progress reports on the students.

"We do," she countered, "We've got just enough," she looked at him, "Will you?"

Danny looked around at the empty space before sighing, "Fine," he supposed he did owe it to her for helping to keep him from getting pulled into the Vortex. But he made no promises for after, whether his mind would be changed or not.

"Right," Clara nodded, taking a breath and heading into the storeroom, smiling when she saw the blue box sitting in the back, "That's the TARDIS, remember, the blue box?" Danny didn't react, but she pressed on, "It looks like it's made of wood, and small," she reached out to touch the corner of it, "But it's really remarkable," she pushed the door open and stepped in, "Doctor," Clara greeted, seeing the Doctor standing by the console, tinkering with something.

"Afternoon," the Doctor called while Evy tapped away at the console.

Clara paused, about to greet Evy, when she spotted LJ standing in a play pen off to the side, his arms crossed, pouting, "What's that about?" she pointed at the toddler.

"The Doctor's son is quite cross that he missed out on us sending the Blitzer away," Evy remarked, a hint of reprimand in her voice.

"Oh, he's MY son now, is he?" the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Let's ignore that he's JUST like you when he's cross."

"I did not BITE you when I was mad at you," Evy shook her head, neither of them seeming to pay much attention to Clara leading a quiet Danny into the box.

"You HIT me though," the Doctor countered, "Same thing, just as violent."

Evy shook her head at him, turning back to Clara, gazing briefly at Danny behind her, before focusing on her, "LJ is in time out for biting."

Clara gave LJ a small smile, but an apologetic one, telling the boy he wasn't going to be getting help from her for biting his parents because he was throwing a tantrum. LJ seemed to huff at that and turned, plopping down in the pen with crossed arms.

"Ah, Mr. Pink," the Doctor walked over, despite the little tiff he'd just had, sliding his arm around Evy's waist, "Have you explained everything Clara?"

"Yeah," Clara sighed, "As much as I can," she glanced at Danny, "I was hoping you could help, add more?"

Evy smiled, "Whatever you need to know, Mr. Pink, just ask."

Danny shifted at that, not quite…not sure what he expected. They were aliens, they shouldn't be acting so…human…and yet they were.

Evy gave him a small nod, turning to head to where the Doctor had been tinkering, plucking up a tool as she went and starting to solder the Doctor's work.

"That…Blitzer thing," Danny began, "When it comes back, because it IS coming back, will you be able to catch him?"

The Doctor observed Danny a moment, almost smiling at the man's concern, he could tell the boy was asking out of fear for others instead of himself, "With this," he gestured back to what Evy was working on, "It'll be a long, fiddly job. Going to take at least 24 hours..."

"It WILL be Thursday night though, right?" this time it was Clara that asked, "Because chronodyne is unstable and…"

"You're right, Clara," Evy sighed, "We can't be sure, entirely. Thursday is the latest it could appear."

"What so it can pop up earlier?!" Danny called, frowning, "It could…it could show up at any time, can't it? It could be out there right now!"

"It's not," the Doctor shook his head, "We've got the TARDIS scanning for any disruptions and, being so close, the second we step out of this box, Evy and I would be aware of any temporal disturbances. Being Time Lords we…"

"Time Lord," Danny repeated, not quite having grasped the term last night in the middle of everything Clara was telling him. What did it matter if she was a Time Lady when all it was was a fancy term for an alien and not human. Hearing it again, hearing it come from the Doctor's mouth…it just set him off, the way the man was talking, the way that Evy woman was, how little they seemed to truly be concerned that some alien with guns could infiltrate the school at any moment was upsetting him, their calm wasn't helping him not freak out, "Might have known."

"Might have known what?" Evy paused in her work to look over at him with a frown, even LJ seemed interested in what Danny meant as he turned in his pen and stood up, gripping the edges of it to look at the event unfolding.

"Well, the accent's good, but you can always spot the aristocracy," Danny muttered, "It's in the…the attitude," THAT was what it was, how they were treating this entire situation like it was just a game or…or some every day occurrence that didn't mean anything, that it wasn't dangerous when it so very much was.

He'd seen that before, seen people who didn't care about the 'little lives' around them so long as the enemy was dealt with. And if that was what a Time Lord was, if that was how they treated danger, like it was nothing important, then he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Danny," Clara breathed, shaking her head at him.

But Danny focused on the Time Lords instead, "Now, Time Lords, do you salute those?"

He'd saluted men just like the Doctor before.

"Definitely not," the Doctor replied.

Danny saluted anyway, "Sir!"

"And you do not call me sir!" the Doctor said, starting to get angry now.

Evy reached out and put a hand on his arm, she'd been there for so many of his 'don't salutes' and 'don't' call me sirs,' she understood. The War had been scarring, they'd both fought in it, neither of them ever wanted to think of themselves as the soldiers they'd been again. They'd both come too far to go back to that, to turn into that around their son ever.

"As you wish, _sir_ ," Danny emphasized the 'sir,' "Absolutely, _sir_!"

"If you're going to be disrespectful to us in our own home, then get out," Evy snapped her fingers, opening the doors.

"Immediately, ma'am," he saluted her and turned on his heel to march out, leaving the Time Lords shaking their heads at him.

"Danny!" Clara shouted after him, completely confused to why he was doing this, why he was acting this way. He'd agreed to meet them, so why was he going on like this?

"One thing, Clara," he spun around to face her, "I'm a soldier, guilty as charged. You see him?" he pointed at the Doctor, "He's an officer."

"He's NOT an officer," Evy shook her head, he was the farthest thing from it.

"I'm the one who carries you out of the fire," Danny continued, "He's the one who lights it. And he's not going to care who gets hurt. Me, you, her," he nodded at Evy.

And that was a line he should NOT have crossed.

"Out," the Doctor barked, "Now!"

Danny scoffed at that, glaring, "Right away, sir. Straight now?"

"Yes."

"Am I dismissed?"

"Yes, you are!"

"And there it is," Danny shook his head, "That's him. Look at him, right now. That's who he is! He's…"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by Evy, who threw out her hand and literally THREW him out of the TARDIS and onto his back, the doors snapping shut behind him.

"I'm sorry!" Clara turned to the Time Lords, her eyes wide, filled with tears, "I didn't know he was going to do that. I promise. He seemed ok with meeting you, I don't…I don't know what happened," she swallowed hard, glancing at the door, "But I'm going to find out," before storming out of the doors herself.

Evy let out a breath, wiping beneath her nose on habit but was relieved to find no blood there, "Well…" she took a breath, "I would not want to be Danny right now."

The Doctor let out a tense laugh, and turned back to their project without another word. Evy sighed at that, shaking her head and moved over to the playpen to pick up their son, pointing a small warning finger at him before she turned and moved back to the console. She tugged the Doctor back and deposited their son in his arms, shooing him off towards his armchair and a book that was resting on it, and taking his place at their project herself.

The Doctor leaned in and pressed a kiss to the back of her head before doing as silently instructed, taking LJ over to the book and cracking it open, reading to their son to try and calm down.

~8~

"What the hell was that?!" Clara demanded as she shoved her way out of the storeroom, spotting Danny stalking off.

He stopped and spun around to face her, "You asked me to meet them, I did."

"And you insulted them!" she pointed out. He turned to leave but she grabbed his arm and turned him back around, "They were being polite, they were being NICE, and you snapped at them! You want to be angry Danny, fine, be cross with ME. You do not get to take it out on them!"

She should have stopped him sooner, should have cut in, defended the Doctor and Evy inside the TARDIS just now, but she'd been so shocked at the complete 180 Danny had done, had been so confused at what set him off, that she hadn't even been able to process what he was saying. But she knew now, and she was not going to let him get away with insulting the Time Lords.

"Don't you see?" he shook his head, before scoffing, "No, of course you don't, because you're one of them now aren't you? What would you care about humans anymore?"

"Danny!" she shouted as he turned and stormed off. She didn't follow, just let out a huff and turned in the other direction. As much as she wanted to help the Doctor and Evy, she had parents' evening to prepare for.

~8~

Evy stepped out of the TARDIS, looking around to see if Clara was around and frowned, moving to the storeroom door. She wanted to check on the girl, make sure she was ok. She seemed furious with Danny near the end and she just wanted to check in. It was always hard when the person you were trying to tell the truth to didn't believe you. It must be worse for Clara as she'd kept the truth from Danny for so long, she just wanted to check in. She just stepped out of the storeroom when a young black girl, one of the students, reached it.

"What's in the box?" the girl asked, peering past the door to the blue police box before Evy shut the door to block its view, "It's not really a policeman, is it?"

"No," she recognized the girl, the same one that had been asking for paper towels due to a spillage earlier. The Doctor seemed fond of her, in his own way, she claimed she was a disruptive influence and he loved all manner of that, "Tell you what," she glanced around, "Between you and I, it's a time machine that can travel in space too."

The girl eyed her, not quite believing her, "A spaceship? Come on do you really expect me to believe that?"

Evy held up her hands, "Seems you're too smart for me," she teased.

"I wish," the girl sighed, looking down, "My teachers won't say that, especially not to my parents."

"Ooh, right, Parents' Evening," Evy nodded, "Well, as your school nurse for a day, I could tell your parents you're quite brilliant. Which ones are they? What's your name."

"Courtney Woods," the girl answered, "Thanks, but I don't think they'd take your word for it. Being the nurse for a day and all," she shrugged at that, before smiling hopefully, "You could always take me into space to make up for it though?"

Evy laughed at that, "Maybe when you're older."

Courtney stepped back, pointing at her, "I'll hold you to that Miss Daniels!"

"It's Evy!" she called after Courtney as she hurried along to Parents' Night.

Evy shook her head, watching Courtney go, before nearly falling backwards as the door was opened behind her, the Doctor's arm saving her from falling. She was about to ask why he'd left the TARDIS, when she spotted the pack in his hand, the one they'd been working on, and knew what that had to mean, "LJ?"

"Going to be biting up a storm after this," the Doctor muttered, relaying what he'd just discovered as he took her hand and pulled her on towards the school's doors. The Blitzer was about to come back, NOW. Within the next few minutes, the alien was going to reappear in the auditorium and they weren't anywhere near finished with the pack, they were going to need help keeping the students and the parents and the teachers safe…and there was only one person they could think of.

They ran to the gymnasium doors, peering in and spotting Clara sitting there, talking to a set of parents.

' _Clara!_ ' they called out in their minds, making Clara wince and look up, her eyes widening as she saw them there. She quickly said something to the parents and got up, running over to them…unfortunately the action wasn't unnoticed by Danny Pink, who excused himself as well to follow.

They glanced at the parents in the hallway and quickly led Clara outside the doors of the school, away from listening ears, "What's happening?" Clara gasped.

"The vortex is opening," Evy got right to it, "The Blitzer is coming back."

"I knew this would happen," Danny muttered, glaring at the Doctor and Evy, "Right, hall, quick…"

"PE, shut up," the Doctor cut in, "Clara, it'll scan the area. If it gets to parents' evening, it'll kill them all."

"We've got to evacuate!"

"Shut up!"

"Evy," Clara turned to the woman, knowing she'd have her head on straight more so than the Doctor, "What do you need me to do?"

"You and I, Clara, we're going to distract the Blitzer," Evy said, pulling out her sonic, holding a hand to the Doctor for his sonic as well, "We flick these on for a moment, releasing helicon energy to lure the Blitzer to it and lead it away from the halls, to the storeroom and Doctor I need your sonic," she turned to him as he didn't give her his sonic yet.

"No," he shook his head, "No, I'M going to go with Clara, YOU take this," he held the pack out to her.

"Doctor…"

"No," he cut in again, "It should take another 24 hours to fix this," he wiggled the pack, "It would be impossible to fix it before the Blitzer starts to attack," he gave her a meaningful yet soft look, "Don't tell me my Impossible Girl thinks this is TOO impossible."

Evy pursed her lips a moment, before leaning in to kiss him, "You owe me," she murmured, pulling back and running towards the storeroom…leaving the Doctor to realize she'd taken the pack and switched it out for her sonic mid-kiss.

He smiled at that, looking at Clara, "You ready?" he held out the sonic to her.

Clara took it, nodding, serious.

"You can't be serious!" Danny cut in, "You're going to use yourselves as decoys?! Are you mad?!"

"Completely," the Doctor nodded, reaching out to Clara's shoulder and turning her to run ahead of him, leaving Danny behind, the two of them making their way over to the auditorium where the Blitzer would undoubtedly come through once more, "We're going to have to split up," he warned her, "Like with the Teller. Don't get caught this time."

"No problem," Clara nodded, flicking Evy's sonic on. She reached out and put a hand on his arm to stop him reaching for the door a moment, "I thought it scanned you," she murmured, "That it'll kill you on sight."

"It did and it will."

"Then why are you doing this?" she shook her head, "It hasn't scanned me, I could be the decoy, I can do it alone."

The Doctor gave her a small smile, "You're part of our family now, Clara," he told her, "You won't ever be alone again."

Clara had to smile at that.

~8~

The Doctor gave her a nod, before leaning in and opening the auditorium door a crack, waiting only a moment before the swirling of the vortex appeared once more, the Blitzer scuttling out of it.

"Disrupt temporal lock," the Blitzer stated, starting to scan around it, "Disengaged scan…" he reached in and flicked his sonic on, letting out a small burst of the energy, making the Blitzer's head snapped towards them, "Incoming stop identified: Helicon. Helicon commence: retargeting."

"Go!" the Doctor turned, pushing Clara off, the two of them splitting up down the hall as the Blitzer made it out of the room, looking both ways.

Clara flicked the sonic on down the one hall, pulling the Blitzer's scan in her direction and running.

"Target acquired: Destroy."

~8~

Evy looked up from where she was frantically working on the pack when the door to the storeroom burst open and the Doctor ran in, pulling Clara behind him by the hand, "It's coming!" he warned.

"And I've got it," Evy nodded, "Just one more…" she held up her hand, using her power to pull the sonic from Clara's hands and back into her own, flicking it at the last wire just as the door was blasted off its hinges, the Blitzer scuttling in.

"Destroy!" it cried, "Destroy!"

"Evy!" Clara shouted, ducking down as the Blitzer fired at them, the Doctor already at Evy's side and yanking her and the pack to the ground too. She scurried over to their side, helping Evy strap the pack onto the Doctor's back.

"Am I green?" he asked quickly, "Am I green?"

"Green," Evy nodded, kissing his cheek, "Go!"

The Doctor stood quickly, a small handheld microphone in his hand connected by a wire to speakers in the pack, "Stop! Skovox Blitzer!"

The Blitzer actually paused, "Awaiting orders."

"How…" Clara breathed to Evy, the two of them still ducked down.

"The speakers are hooked though the frequency of a Superior Skovox Artificer," Evy told her, "It'll think a commanding officer is giving it orders.

"Analyze stop," the Doctor called, "Analyze stop."

The trio held their breaths…

Till the Blitzer lowered its weapon arms, "Superior recognized. Pattern 1-1-0. Orders. Orders."

"Initiate input," the Doctor commanded, "Commence shutdown protocol. No conflict," he hesitated when the Blitzer said nothing and did nothing, "Conclusion?"

"Problem solution."

"Conclusion?" he repeated.

"Final input code missing," it stated, lifting its arms again, "Emergency terminate. Initiate self-destruct in 9…8…"

"No!" the Doctor shouted as the eyes of the Blitzer turned from blue to red once more, "The input code. Evy!"

"I know, I know!" she yelled, standing up and quickly pulling the cover off a keypad on the pack, putting it in. They'd been hoping that the superior frequency would be enough to deactivate without needing further proof…

"7…6…5…" the Blitzer continued.

"What's happening?!" Clara cried.

"We need more time," Evy muttered, "We need a distraction!"

Clara jumped to her feet, "Give me your sonics!" she reached out and grabbed them from the Doctor and Evy's hands.

"3…2…1…"

Clara smashed the two sonics together, creating a high pitched noise that had the Blitzer scuttling back and twitching at the volume of it.

"Under attack!" the Blitzer cried, starting to raise his arms, firing wildly.

"Got it!" Evy shouted, "Go!"

"Artificer," the Doctor yelled to the Blitzer as Clara let go of the sonics, "Artificer. Stop. Confirm stop override, final input code!"

The Blitzer was silent, "Code accepted. Abort self-destruct. Orders accepted. Stop. Stop. Stop…" the last word slurred out as the Blitzer's head bowed down, the entire robot powering down, sinking to the ground…and revealing Danny Pink standing right behind it with wide eyes.

"You…did it," Danny muttered, staring at the deactivated robot.

"Danny," Clara frowned, "What are you doing here?"

"Come to take more jabs?" the Doctor's eyes narrowed.

Danny just looked at the three of them, his gaze drifting from the Doctor's face to Evy's to Clara's and down to the two sonics in her hand and back up. He glanced at the Blitzer and back to Clara before shaking his head and walking out of the destroyed door.

Clara sighed and looked down at that, not entirely sure what she'd been hoping for from Danny, not after he'd blown up at the others. She looked up when she felt someone rest a hand on her shoulder and saw it was Evy.

"We're sorry Clara," she told the girl.

"Yeah," Clara took a breath, "I am too."

"You were brilliant though," the Doctor tried to cheer her.

Clara smiled a bit at that.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy stood at the doorway of the TARDIS, staring out at the Blitzer as it drifted in space, Courtney Woods peering out the door as well, gaping at the wonder of space and the fact that the ship really WAS a spaceship and she was standing in it. LJ had been put to bed earlier and would have an early bedtime from then on without a bedtime story until he learned that he was not allowed to bite people just because he didn't get his way.

"Farewell, Skovox Blitzer," the Doctor called to it, "Have a nice war. So, Courtney Woods, impressed yet?"

"Actually…" Courtney breathed, "I'm feeling a bit ill…"

Evy quickly moved into the TARDIS console, looking under one of the compartments and grabbing a bucket.

"Ah, it can be a bit overwhelming," the Doctor agreed, not noticing Evy's actions or how Courtney was turning a bit green, "But look. The Olveron Cluster. A million stars, a hundred million inhabited planets…"

He did, however, look down when Courtney made a gagging noise and turned into the TARDIS. And THEN he noticed his Link holding a small pail under Courtney's head as the girl grabbed it and emptied her stomach into it, Evy trying to hold her hair back for the child.

"Ah, yes," he winced at that, "There has been a spillage…"

"A contained spillage though," Evy smiled.

"Yes," he returned her grin, "Thanks to my lovely Link."

"One of my many jobs on Earth," she rolled her eyes, "Daycare worker for a bit, you'd not believe the children that came in ill from motion sickness just on the ride over."

He grimaced at that, infinitely thankful that their son hadn't gotten that trait.

~8~

"Mr. Pink," Clara called as she knocked on Danny's classroom door just as the bell rang for the end of the school day, wanting to catch him before he could dash off and avoid her, "Might I have a word?"

Danny froze mid-stand, and glanced at the handful of children just about to leave, knowing that he couldn't say no and be rude or he'd never hear the end of it from the children about how 'Ozzy and the Squaddie are in a fight' so he sighed, "Of course, Ms. Oswald."

Clara nodded, waiting till the children had left and closed the door behind them, crossing her arms as she came to stand before him, "You were rude and mocking to my friends," she began, "And I don't like that."

"I don't like them," Danny defended.

"Why not?" Clara shook her head, "You were fine before you actually SPOKE to them and then you just…snapped. Why?"

Danny let out a long breath, "I know men like them, like that Doctor bloke. I've served under them."

"You don't like them because they were soldiers?" Clara frowned, "YOU were a soldier."

"It's not that, it's…"

"And besides that," Clara continued, not having heard him, "You have no idea what their lives were like, what they've been through. You don't know the things they've done, the choices they've had to make, the lives they've lived. _I_ do. And I am telling you, right now, Danny Pink, you insult my friends, or belittle them, or…or mock them one more time around me and our friendship is over. If it even still exists now."

Danny looked down, "It does," he mumbled, "I…want it to," he admitted, "You aren't the only one who only has one friend, Clara," he shrugged, Clara's expression softening just slightly, "I'm just…I was hurt that you lied to me. And I was…I don't know, I don't know how to look at you and not think 'alien' each time. It was different when I didn't know you weren't human."

"I'm still ME," she insisted, "I'm still Clara, you just know more about me," she eyed him, "Would you want me to turn my back on you if I learned things about you that you haven't told me yet?" he winced at that, knowing that Clara was perceptive enough to realize there were some things he was keeping from her, and shook his head, "Then try. Try to look at me and see CLARA. And I'll promise you that, later, when you trust me enough to tell me those things you're hiding, I'll look at you and still see Danny. Do we have a deal?"

Danny nodded softly, "Deal."

Clara nodded as well and turned to go, but paused, looking back at him as she reached the door, "Why don't you like them?" she asked, "Really? You can't dislike them for being soldiers when YOU were one. So what is it?"

Danny swallowed hard, "People like them, like the Doctor, they push you and make you stronger, till you're doing things you never thought you could. I saw you last night, Clara, I saw you running about and…and everything. You did exactly what they told you. You weren't even scared. And you _should_ have been."

"I'm a Time Lady now, Danny," she replied, "I'm…I'm more resilient now, I can handle more things. And I trust them. I trust the Doctor and Evy with my LIFE. They would never, ever let anything harm me. And they would never let me down."

"Still going on about that Time Lady business," he muttered, but shook his head, "Sorry," he offered, "I just…I'm trying to wrap my head around it Clara, I am. But it's just…I see what they're like, I see how they act, and…you can TELL they aren't human, that they're alien," he looked at her, "Humans have something unique, we have…we have humanity," he couldn't think of another word to describe it, that thing, that unique thing that made them _human_ , "You used to be human. Ok. Now you're an alien. Fine. But just…being human is…it's amazing."

"I know it is," Clara murmured, "Humans are…incredible."

He nodded, "They are, and you are, and I just…" he sighed, not sure how to phrase it without offending her, "I look back on you Clara, at the Clara I met when I started here and the Clara standing in front of me and…you're different than she was, you're changing. Like you said, you're trying to learn how to be a proper Time Lady and that's fine, that's your choice and your life. But…I just…I don't want to see you lose your humanity in the process, because once you've lost that…it'll be like you weren't even human to begin with, and that…that would be a terrible thing to lose."

Clara looked at him a long while for that, before nodding slightly and walking out of the room, more shaken by his words than she cared to admit.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't quite see Clara letting Danny get away with shouting at the Doctor in this story. She doesn't have that loyalty to Danny or the connection or the real guilt of lying to him that she did in the show. For her, right now, J and his family are more important to her than Danny, so I could see her being angry on their behalf and calling Danny out on what he said ;)
> 
> Next chapter...a Luna on a Lunar expedition, miniature spacesuits are adorable, and spiders are not pets :)


	13. Kill the Moon (Part 1)

Evy smiled a she and the Doctor walked along the halls of Coal Hill, LJ between them, the two of them swinging him by the hands every so often, making him squeal, the students that were starting to leave the building for the day given them room, which meant Clara was unfortunately placed behind them as she tried to talk to them as they took up a bit of the hallway the three of them.

"Courtney Woods," Clara was saying, "Doctor, she has gone crazy. She's uncontrollable. She took your psychic paper…"

"Is that where that got to?" Evy wondered, they'd been in need of it during their last adventure, but hadn't had a clue where it got to. The Doctor was of the mind that it was lost in the abyss that was his pockets, though she was sure he'd just misplaced it somewhere in the TARDIS, seemed they were both wrong.

"She's been using it as fake ID," Clara told them, frowning at how they didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of that.

"To get into museums?" the Doctor asked absently, laughing as LJ started swinging his feet with each lift, pretending he was walking on the moon or something like that.

Hmm, maybe they should go somewhere like that later, some sort of anti-grav playroom or something for children. LJ was such a sweet boy, but he had so few friends his own age, it would be good for him to interact with other children, no matter their species…

"No, no, no," Clara huffed, "To buy White Lightning or alcopops or whatever."

"I don't quite think she's THAT bad off, Clara," Evy shook her head, "From what I've seen of her, she seems like a reasonable, if disruptive girl. She wouldn't do something that wild."

"And how would you know?" Clara moved in front of them, her hands on her hips as they reached a door to another storeroom, not the Caretaker's storeroom, but a different one that was more for the teachers, "You two don't live here, you're not on Earth, you're not around her and the other children as much as I am. I think I would be the authority on when a human child is upset!"

Evy frowned at that a moment, "Are you alright Clara?" she asked hesitantly.

She'd noticed that, recently, the last few trips they'd taken with Clara, she was…a little more closed off, a little more silent, almost like she just wanted to get the trip over with and go back to her flat instead of really wanting to be there. She'd stopped answering questions as well, when they posed it to her to test how her memories of Gallifrey were clearing, she brushed it off or shrugged, she stopped contributing her thoughts which was…odd, Clara was always very vocal about what she thought.

Clara let out a long breath, "I'm just…worried," she told them.

"About what?" the Doctor looked up at them, "We've no idea what you're talking about," Evy rolled her eyes at that, SHE knew what Clara was talking about, she was able to multi-task in paying attention to her boys and Clara at the same time where the Doctor seemed to struggle with just one of them, "What…what is Courtney Woods?"

"The girl we took to see the Blitzer to space," Evy reminded him.

"Urg," LJ grumbled, crossing his little arms and pouting. To him, Courtney was the girl that had got to see the Blitzer instead of him, because he'd been put to be early, because he bit his father…and mother…and his father's sonic.

"She's one of my year tens," Clara added, "She says that you told her that she wasn't special."

Evy blinked and looked at the Doctor, "You told her what?"

"Rubbish," the Doctor waved it off, "I said no such thing."

"She says that's what sent her off the rails," Clara nodded.

"Pffff…"

"Doctor," Clara moved to the side to block his path to the TARDIS as it sat in the back of the room, "I know, I know. But, you say something like that to somebody, it hurts. Especially if you're somebody of her age, especially if you're you. Doctor, it can affect her whole life."

' _Theta?_ ' Evy called in his mind, making him glance at her, seeing concern in her eyes.

' _I didn't say it,_ ' he told her, crossing his hearts, ' _I wouldn't say that to a child,_ ' he glanced down at their son, ' _Not now._ '

Evy nodded, believing him, she didn't doubt that he was telling the truth. But that did leave the question of why Courtney was lying about what the Doctor said or why she was acting in a manner that was worrying Clara.

The Doctor turned and pushed the doors to the TARDIS open, stepping inside only to see Courtney inside, poking at the console, the psychic paper in her hands, "Oi!" he ran over and snatched it from her, "Give over!"

"How did you get in here, Courtney?" Evy frowned, leading LJ over to his toys and setting him up to play with them while she frowned at the girl.

"I let her in," Clara sighed, "I just…I was hoping you could talk to her."

Evy looked over at her, "You're her teacher," she shook her head slightly, "You've handled everything the Doctor's said to others just as well. What's different about this?"

Clara shrugged, "Nothing," she answered quickly, "I just…I didn't think I could get through to her."

She didn't say that a part of it was that she looked at Courtney while the girl was telling her what the Doctor said and, for one brief moment, she'd wondered if it was normal for a human child to react like Courtney was. For one brief moment, she'd thought of Courtney as 'human,' she'd thought of her as separate from herself. And it shook her, it shook her terribly, because before that point she'd never seen the children, her students, as anything other than students, regardless of species, just…children. And then, for that moment, she'd seen Courtney as a human child. And the first thing she'd thought to do was call the Doctor and Evy down, even now her mind had gone to the Time Lords for help.

And that wasn't good or right, because Evy was right, SHE was Courtney's teacher but…she didn't know, she didn't know what to say or do now. No, she knew what to do and say, but it was just…it was all jumbled in her head and she couldn't sort through it and it was throwing her off. She'd asked them to come, because they looked at humans all the time like that, as humans, and they'd dealt with human children and they knew what to say and do and maybe that was what she needed, to see how a Time Lady would handle Courtney.

Because she wasn't sure she knew how to handle the girl while looking at her as a human girl instead of a girl.

It was disturbing her more than she knew it probably should, but she didn't say anything. She could sort herself out, she didn't need the Time Lords to help her with everything, just…just this, just till she got her head on right.

"I got stuff to clean up with!" Courtney cheered, pulling the women's attention back to her as she held up paper towels and cleaning spray.

"What?" the Doctor blinked.

"And I got these from the chemist," she wiggled her arms to pull down her sleeves a bit, revealing a band around her wrist.

"Vortex manipulators?"

"They're magnetic bracelets, Doctor," Evy walked over to him, giving Clara one more look, "I used to see them about when I was on Earth. They help with travel sickness, or that's how they're advertised."

"Good," the Doctor nodded, "Because I don't like people being sick in our TARDIS. No being sick. And no hanky-panky."

"Doctor!" Clara huffed, moving over to them.

"Sorry, that's the rules."

Clara shook her head, "Look, Courtney," she turned to the girl, hoping beyond hope that the Doctor hadn't understood Courtney's intentions of being there, "You're not going to be needing those because you're not going to be doing any travelling. Doctor, will you just…just tell her?"

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her that she's special," Clara nearly glared, "Tell her that humans are special, that they're unique and important, every bit as a Time Lord."

The Doctor frowned at her words, at her reaction, "Have you gone bananas?"

Evy gave him an amused look for that, but it was a small one. Even the Doctor could tell that something was bothering Clara, really bothering her. But she wasn't talking, and she was acting oddly from it.

Courtney stood there a moment, till Clara looked at her, as though to check her reaction, and the girl jumped, "Do you really think I'm not special?" she asked, "You can't just take me away like that. It's like you kicked a big hole in in the side of my life," Evy crossed her arms, a bit entertained at how Courtney was winding them up and sticking to the lie she'd told Clara, clearly a way to guilt her to getting her into the TARDIS and talking to the aliens again, "You really think it? I'm nothing? I'm not special?"

The Doctor looked at Evy pleadingly.

She considered a moment, glancing to Clara, a small frown coming onto her face as she did something she promised she wouldn't ever do to the girl. She peeked into her mind. She needed to know what this was really about, why Clara had brought Courtney to them, why she was so…off. Clara, the Clara they knew, would have had the easiest time ever talking Courtney down without needing to bring her to the TARDIS or call them to help. And the Clara they knew would have been a little calmer and more confident.

There was something more going on, and Courtney was the trigger, but she needed to know what. It was clear to her that they were going to have to do something to satisfy Courtney so she'd stop pestering Clara, but at the same time…they needed something that would get their Clara back. It was like she was stuck, and she just needed a nudge. And if she could kill two birds with one stone, it would be a worthwhile adventure.

So she peeked, a gentle push on Clara's mind and she was in, and apparently she had entered the right part of her thoughts, all her other past memories not even holding a candle to the issue she was facing within herself right at that moment. She let out a breath at what she saw, her eyes widening, though she slowly nodded, understanding, finally understanding what was bothering Clara.

She looked over at LJ, who was making a puzzle on the floor, the Sol System, just a little good fun for him, be familiar with the system they visited most. He had just completed the moon, when she got an idea. Her gaze snapped up to the Doctor, "How about being the first young black woman ON the Moon?"

This was…going to be a gamble, a very big gamble, but…if it worked, everything would be all the better for it.

The Doctor grinned and snapped his fingers, pointing at her, "Special enough?" he asked Courtney.

"Yeah!" she beamed, "Alright."

"Ok," the Doctor moved over to the console, getting the coordinates in place…only to frown when Evy moved to his side and set the date.

' _The future?_ ' he asked her silently, not sure why she'd selected 2049 instead of just a few minutes ahead.

Evy nodded, ' _If…if I'm right about something, then this might be just what Clara needs to get out of her slump,_ ' she gave him a pleading look, ' _Do you trust me?_ '

He just smiled and pulled a lever, sending them off to 2049, both of them ignoring Clara's shouts as the TARDIS took off.

~8~

"I'm not happy about this," Clara told Evy as they stepped out of the TARDIS after the Doctor and Courtney, all of them dressed in full, orange spacesuits, "But even I can admit LJ is absolutely adorable."

And in fact the little boy grinned at the compliment as he was dressed in his own, miniature version of the orange suits and fixed to his mother's hip as she carried him. They were NOT about to let their son go running about where he might cut his suit or put himself in danger of running low on oxygen, so he was going to remain close, was literally going to be within two feet of his mother at all times.

Truly, he was leashed to her suit by a small black harness.

It was quite possibly the only way to make sure he wouldn't go running off as, with the thick gloves of the suits, they wouldn't be able to keep a firm enough grip on his hand.

And the boy had inherited his father's ability to slip into and out of things, they were not going to risk him doing the same now.

Evy gave a soft chuckle at that, "He is his father's son."

"I am not adorable," the Doctor defended, hearing them, "I'm hot."

"Yes you are," Evy agreed, giving him an appreciative look, "The orange truly brings out your eyes," she teased, recalling how his last self had mentioned something about the color and suit at the Caliburn house.

The Doctor grinned smugly at that.

"Ok, where are we?" Clara asked, looking around at the room they'd found themselves in. It was small, but packed with cylindrical objects she couldn't quite get a good look at in the dark.

"The moon," the Doctor stated.

"This isn't the moon," Courtney disagreed, "Where are we?"

Evy glanced out one of the very small windows and nodded, "We're in space," she confirmed, "On the way to the moon," she offered, "It seems like a recycled space shuttle."

"2049, judging by that prototype version of the Bennett oscillator," the Doctor pointed ahead.

"Which is exactly when I was hoping to land," Evy smiled, pleased they were on schedule.

"Mummy," LJ wiggled in her arms, "Stuffy!"

Evy nodded, looking around, pulling her sonic out of a strap across her suit to scan around, "Oxygen is good," she nodded, kneeling down to set LJ to the ground and pop his helmet off as the others did the same.

"Where's the gravity coming from?" the Doctor wondered, starting to look around with his own sonic.

"Those…they aren't…" Clara eyed the cylinders, "They're not…"

But she wouldn't say what they were.

Evy looked over at her sadly, knowing that Clara KNEW what they were, she just wasn't saying…and it had nothing to do with Courtney being there and not wanting to alarm her. She just…didn't want to say it, she didn't want to say it out loud, she didn't want to admit that she DID know what they were, that she recognized them.

The Doctor didn't seem to notice, "About a hundred nuclear bombs," he said…when an alarm went off right above them. He ran to the window and looked out, "Ok, don't panic," he turned to them, making his way briskly to Evy's side and crouching down, "We're about to crash into the moon. Brace yourselves!"

Clara instantly turned and pulled Courtney down, the two of them bracing themselves against a set of cargo nets as the Time Lords did the same by a wall.

"Why didn't you just tell her you didn't mean it?!" Clara yelled over the noise of the alarms as the shuttle started to shake terribly.

"Because we're not just here for Courtney!" Evy called back, though her words were lost as the shuttle skid into the moon's surface, nearly throwing them all to the ground though they managed to not fall entirely, bracing themselves on their hands.

The second the alarms turned off and everything calmed, LJ began to clap, "Do it again! Do it again!"

The Doctor chuckled, reaching out to ruffle his son's hair, "Oh boyo, you really are my son aren't you?"

Evy leaned in and gave him a gentle peck, "A wonderful thing to be," she winked at him, the three of them starting to stand, about to turn and help Clara up when a door opened and three other people in white spacesuits entered, two men and one blonde woman.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" the woman demanded, pulling a small blaster on them as the men beside her did the same.

"Why have you got all these nuclear bombs?" the Doctor countered with a question, moving to step in front of Evy despite the fact that neither of them were very alarmed by the weapons in their faces.

"I'm not going to give you another chance," the woman warned.

"You'll give us all the chances we want," Evy shook her head, stepping beside the Doctor, "And why is that Clara?"

Clara blinked, looking between the Time Lords and down to Courtney and back, before shrugging, "I dunno."

"You do," the Doctor encouraged, "Go on."

But Clara's eyes narrowed, her voice growing firmer, "I really don't."

Evy frowned at that, but looked down to LJ who was peering at the blonde woman from behind her legs, "LJ?"

"Boom!" the boy threw his hands up a moment, before gripping the cloth of her suit again.

"Bingo, boyo," the Doctor ruffled his hair again, making LJ grimace, "You shoot us, and you miss, which, given the state of those guns," he eyed the rather old models in their hands, "You blow this entire thing up. And I don't think it's meant to go off right here, right now, is it?"

The woman glared at him, but nodded to the men to lower their weapons.

LJ wiggled, frowning in discomfort, before he reached up to tug his father's hand, "Daddy, the floor is funny."

The Doctor hopped a bit, nodding, "It is, good job, son."

"What on Earth are you doing?" Clara shook her head at him.

"What on the Moon," Courtney corrected with a small smile.

The Doctor smirked at that, ' _A moon on the moon,_ ' he mumbled, looking at Evy, amused, ' _A Luna on a Lunar mission…_ '

Evy rolled her eyes and lightly reached out to shove him, making him laugh.

"Doctor," Clara cut in, her hands on her hips.

"Gravity test, Clara," Evy looked over at her, "You had to have noticed the gravity is off, yes?" Clara's hands dropped from her hips as she looked away, Evy nodding slightly to herself, so she HAD noticed…but she hadn't said, again, again she hadn't said a word.

"Yes, the gravity of the moon has gone bonkers," the Doctor agreed, "Which is just as well for you lot," he eyed the woman and her companions, "That we're here because I think we might just possibly be able to help you. You see, we're super-intelligent alien beings who fly in time and space," he gestured at Evy and LJ, "Ooh, don't be fooled by his age," he pointed to LJ, "He's still loads smarter than you pudding brains."

LJ grinned smugly at that, making Evy laugh lightly, SO the Doctor's son.

"Now," the Doctor clapped his hands, the noise muffled by his gloves, "Why have you got all these nuclear bombs? No, no, no. Easier question. Clara," he pointed at her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a yo-yo, flicking it, "What's wrong with my yo-yo? And please, do answer this time, or I'll have to wonder if you've got a Cybermat stuck somewhere on you feeding on your brain."

Clara narrowed her eyes at him, but this time did answer, "It's going up and down."

"Exactly," the Doctor nodded, "We _should_ be bouncing about this cabin like little fluffy clouds. But we're not. What is the matter with the moon?"

"Nobody knows," the blonde woman sighed when she saw the Time Lords look at her.

Clara frowned when she saw Evy glance out the window, an odd look on her face, "Do you know what's wrong with the moon?" she asked before she even realized she'd spoken.

Evy glanced over at her, "No," she shook her head, "No I don't."

The Doctor leaned in at that, resting his forehead to the back of her head, ' _You do,_ ' he accused lightly in her mind, ' _You know exactly what's happening, don't you?_ ' he frowned, ' _I can feel you trying to hide it from me…_ '

' _Because I want it to be a surprise for you and Sigma,_ ' she told him, turning her head to face him as he pulled back, ' _I need it to be something Clara doesn't work out too soon._ '

' _Why?_ '

' _You love surprises,_ ' she shrugged, ' _And Clara…she'll need what's coming. So please_ ,' she reached out to take his hand, ' _Don't pry, don't look, try as hard as you can with the Link there not to peek…and work it out yourself. You'll love it, I promise._ '

He nodded, trusting her, and looked to Clara, instead saying, "It's put on weight."

Only for the blonde woman to scoff, "How can the moon put on weight?"

"She gets pregnant," he stated without thinking.

Only for Evy to narrow her eyes at him for that remark.

He leaned in quickly and gave her a peck, ' _And how beautiful and sexy she looked,_ ' he eyed her a moment, ' _And now I can't quite stop imagining how much more beautiful and sexier you'd be pregnant now…it's almost impossible to picture though,_ ' he admitted, ' _You're already so beautiful and sexy as it is._ '

Evy blushed a bit at that, "Stop it," she muttered to him out loud.

He just grinned, and looked around to see the others staring at him, "Besides that, there's gravity bombs, axis alignment systems, planet shellers…"

"So it's alien," the blonde woman assessed.

"I can't imagine the Earth is doing well," Evy remarked, glancing slightly at Clara before focusing on the woman, "The tides would be high enough to completely drown some cities…"

"Yeah."

"So what are you doing about it?" the Doctor asked, gesturing around, "This?"

The woman moved over to a black case resting on the wall and pulled it off, "That's what you do with aliens, isn't it? Blow them up?"

"Meanie," LJ pouted at her.

But the woman hardly paid him mind, "If you're here to help, help, if not, stay out of our way," and with that she turned and strode out of the room, the two men hesitating before following her.

The Time Lords looked at each other once more before nodding, all of them putting their helmets back on to follow, making sure Courtney and LJ were secure as well.

~8~

The small group of explorers carefully made their way out of the shuttle and onto the moon's surface, LJ walking beside his mother, her hand clutching his for extra stability incase he stumbled on the sandy surface.

"Wow," Courtney breathed as they let her step out first, "Wow! One small thing for a thing. One enormous thing for a thingy thing!"

"Close," Evy laughed at that.

"So much for history," Lundvik, the blonde woman, mumbled, glancing at the shuttle quickly before shaking her head. It was in near shambles, there would be no getting home from there in that thing now. So she turned and led the way towards their destination, the black case firmly clutched in her hand.

"Ah the moon," the Doctor remarked as they went, "Big bright orb floating in the sky, orbiting the earth, keeping it company," he winked at Evy, "Just imagine if, somehow, there were a way to put a moon on a moon," he smirked as she rolled her eyes.

' _It IS ironic,_ ' he murmured in her mind, ' _It really is. My Luna walking across Earth's Luna. There are two 'moons' here right now! One on top of the other. A Moon-Moon Event!_ '

' _I'm starting to be concerned about your sanity again, dear,_ ' Evy remarked with a hint of amusement in her words, making him grin and take her hand as they walked.

It didn't take them that much longer to reach what appeared to be a module, a settlement set into a crater, looking almost as rundown as the shuttle, which was worrisome in its own right.

"There was a mining survey, Mexicans," Lundvik explained briefly, "Something happened up here. Nobody knows what. That's when the trouble began back on Earth. High tide everywhere at once. The greatest natural disaster in history…" she trailed off, frowning when she saw that the airlock door was wide, wide open, with...

"Cobwebs?" Clara frowned, seeing the substance hanging from the airlock door.

"Henry, go back and prime the bombs," Lundvik turned to one of the two men with her.

"Er," the man shifted, "Is there any instructions?"

"There's a switch on each of them. The light goes red."

"They won't go off?"

"No, not till I fiddle with this thing," she held up the case.

"Ok," Henry sighed, not sounding happy but turned to head back to the shuttle anyway.

Lundvik let out a long breath and turned back to the group, the Doctor and Evy already standing at the doorway, flashing some odd little metal wand with a light on it at the cobwebs, "Shall we?"

"Is that the best you could get?" the Doctor gestured back at the shuttle.

"Second-hand space shuttle, third-hand astronauts," she shrugged, stepping past them and into the module…which had even more cobwebs layered over everything despite the entire craft being set in and exposed to a vacuum.

"How many people were meant to operate here?" Evy asked as they walked on, keeping LJ close to her, tugging him a bit every few seconds when he tried to touch some of the cobwebs.

"Four," Lundvik told them, pressing a control in the wall and shutting the airlock door behind them, "Minera Luna, San Pedro. It was privately financed. They were doing a mineral survey up here."

"Did you receive any messages?" Clara glanced at her, "Mayday? SOS? Transmissions? Distress beacons? Smoke signals?"

Evy snorted at that last one, knowing that Clara knew smoke signals would be impossible and hardly realistic, but it seemed the girl had realized that her list of signals was veering a little too much into a knowledge that a human wouldn't have…even Courtney was giving her an odd look through her space helmet.

"Pretty much all the satellites had been whacked out of orbit," the other man that had accompanied Lundvik replied, "They managed to send back some screams."

"Oi!" Clara hissed at the man, nodding at Courtney and LJ.

"Oh he's heard worse horror stories than that," the Doctor waved it off.

"Which probably isn't a good thing," Evy countered, "Some of our adventures dear, are not meant for a child's ears."

"He loves the scary stories best though!" he argued with a frown.

"Boo!" LJ laughed, throwing his arms up.

"Your son," Evy shook her head, "Completely yours."

The Doctor chuckled at that and looked at the man that had answered before, "So then you came up here to rescue them with your bombs?"

"Not quite," the man hesitated.

"They disappeared ten years ago," Lundvik told them bluntly.

"And no one bothered to come rescue them?!" Clara seemed horrified.

Evy looked over, almost seeing Clara's mind drifting back to her time in the Alaska, how no one had come to look for survivors in a year…because it was trapped in the Dalek Asylum and no sane person would dare venture there…which was why the Doctor had been called in.

"There was no shuttle," Lundvik argued.

" _You_ had one," the Doctor pointed out.

"It was in a museum," Lundvik rolled her eyes, though the Time Lords shared a small smile at that idea, riding a museum piece through space, "They'd cut the back off it so kids could ride in it. We'd stopped going into space. Nobody cared. Not until…"

Courtney suddenly screamed.

"Courtney!" Clara gasped, turning around and rushing to her, pulling her back from where she'd discovered a spacesuit hanging in a cocoon stuck to the wall, "Oh, my God," she turned to the Doctor and Evy, frantic, "Tell me there wasn't anyone inside that thing…"

The Doctor winced as he scanned the suit with his sonic, "I could, but it wouldn't make it true."

"I'll get some power back on," Lundvik's comrade muttered to her, hurrying away to do that.

"Come on," Clara tugged Courtney back more, the girl still gaping in horror at the cocoon, "Now, Courtney, come here. Don't look. You alright?

Courtney swallowed thickly, "I'm ok," she nodded, only to grimace as the Doctor got the cocoon off the wall, the helmet of the suit falling away to reveal a skeleton inside.

"Hey," Clara tried to distract her, "Look. Look at me. Look. It's alright if you're not."

Courtney took a deep breath, "I'm fine."

"Brave girl," Evy smiled at her, "Very brave girl."

Courtney managed a small grin in return, "What did it?"

"Maybe something trying to find out how you're put together?" the Doctor offered, "Or maybe how you tasted? Or…"

"Doctor!" Clara cut in with a glare.

"Do we have guns?" Courtney looked at them, now feeling a little less brave.

"Not unless you brought some," Lundvik told her, looking at the one that she had strapped to her suit, it wouldn't do much, would probably barely stun something it was so old.

They looked up as the lights came back on, "Save the air," the Doctor called, taking his helmet off and moving to do the same to LJ while Evy got hers off too, the Time Lady turning to a nearby computer and starting to tap codes into it to try and access the system, "Find anything?"

"No," she shook her head, "And neither did they, apparently."

"What?" Lundvik looked over.

"The Mexicans," Evy glanced up, "There are no minerals on their reports."

The Doctor moved beside her, picking up a picture or two that was set on the table, spread out, LJ on this tip toes trying to see above the table, but he was too small, "Oh," he blinked.

"Oh what?" Clara turned to them from where she'd been looking around.

The Doctor moved over to her from where he'd been showing Evy the pictures, "Lines of tectonic stress," he held one up for Clara to see.

"That's the Mare Fecunditatis," Lundvik got a look too, "It's been there since the Apollo days. It's always been there."

"No, no, no," eh shook his head, "Clara, notice anything?"

Clara looked at the pictures, squinting, her brow furrowing, looking as though she were really trying to work out what was wrong…till she realized what she was doing, and took a step back, "I dunno," she shrugged, saying it a bit too quickly for Evy or the Doctor to believe her.

The Doctor glanced at Evy for that, a frown on his face, only to see her shake her head gently in a sign not to say anything just yet about that in particular, about the fact that Clara should know what was wrong. He sighed and moved back to Evy's side, picking up more pictures, "These are much, much bigger. Sea of Tranquility. Sea of Nectar. Sea of Ingenuity. Sea of Crises…"

"And what does that mean?" Clara shook her head, glancing up as the lights flickered and turned off.

"Meaning, Clara, that the moon, this little planetoid that's been tagging along beside you for a hundred million years, which gives you light at night and seas to sail on, is in the process of falling to bits," the Doctor answered, spinning around quickly when there was a banging noise above them.

The room shook slightly as a high-pitched whine began to rise, the sound of scuttling little claws starting to get louder.

"What the hell was that?" Courtney gasped.

"Language," Evy pointed a warning finger at her even as she pulled LJ closer to her, picking him up incase something attacked.

"Duke, is that you?" Lundvik called into a comm..

"I don't sound anything like that," her comrade replied.

"Can you try and get the lights back on?"

"That's what I'm doing."

"Sonics out," the Doctor murmured to Evy, the two Time Lords pulling their screwdrivers out to use as torches.

Evy glanced over at Clara, seeing the girl look at the sonics almost wistfully, as though she wished she had one, before she blinked and forcefully looked away, frowning, like she was disappointed in herself for looking in the first place.

"Whatever it is, it's in here," the Doctor spoke, pulling Evy's attention back, the scuttling noise getting more distinct, reminding the Doctor far too much of what it sounded like when the Racnoss had been freeing her children, "I think we've found your alien," he only just glanced at Lundvik when a large, black spider with red joints, leapt into the air at them from a doorway at the end of the room, "Back, back, back!" he shouted, moving Evy behind him, urging her and LJ back, "We need a door. A door, a door!"

"Here!" Clara gasped, running to one just behind them, "Here!" she tugged on it but it wouldn't give, "The door's locked!"

"Clara, catch!" Evy tossed her the sonic in her hand to use.

"No!" the Doctor reached out to grab her hand, but it was too late, "No, stay still, all of you!" he ordered, "It's sensing movement. It can't see you," he eyed the spider as it scuttled up the wall and onto the ceiling, "Fast movement. There must be another exit through there," he slowly nodded towards the corridor they'd entered through, "Slowly. Slowly. Head to that exit. Slowly. Slowly. Slowly, slowly…" he squeezed Evy's hand, gently tugging her after him, the two of them giving an example of how slowly to move, trying to urge the others to do the same, "Gently, gently. When I say run, run…"

"Who made you the boss?" Lundvik glared.

"Well, you say run, then," he muttered, not particularly caring who said run so long as he, his Link, his son, and Clara (and Courtney) were safe.

Lundvik gave a slow nod, inching to the side to make the way to the hall clear, opening her mouth to give the order…when the lights came on and the sound of stomping boots reached them and Duke appeared in the doorway that the spider had come through, "Duke!" she gasped in warning.

But it was too late, the spider had already launched itself at the man, latching itself to his face as he stumbled back, screaming.

"Run!" the Doctor took command when Lundvik appeared too shocked to do so, "We have power. Run!"

Clara turned and pushed the door she was near open, hurrying through, the Doctor and Evy, with LJ in her arms, right after her, "Quick, it's shutting!" she shouted to Lundvik and Courtney…only for the door to slam shut and seal, with the two women still on the other side.

Though…it appeared with the lights on, the gravity had turned off somehow for Courtney was now floating in the air, "Miss!" she screamed.

"Courtney! Courtney!" Clara struggled with the door, but it was stuck, the lights going out, "The power's gone again!" she quickly flicked the sonic at the door, pointing and thinking, unlocking the door and getting it to shove open as Courtney remained floating.

"It's killed him," Courtney cried to them, "It's coming in here! Help! It's coming in here!"

"You'll be ok!" the Doctor reassured her, looking around for something to get to her with, having given Evy a firm look NOT to use her power to pull Courtney to them, "Courtney, look at me. Look at me! Courtney…" he glanced up at the spider now hanging from the ceiling upside down, "Try and get to the door! Try and get yourself down here…"

"Rope!" LJ tugged on his ear, trying to get his attention, "Rope! Daddy, rope!"

"We don't have rope, boyo."

"Yo-yo!"

The Doctor blinked at that and leaned in to kiss his son's head, "You are so your mother's son," he muttered, starting to pat his pockets, "Genius, complete and utter genius," he finally got it out, "Courtney, grab my yo-yo!" he flicked it out at her, Courtney managing to grab it on the first swing…

Right as the gravity came back and she fell to the ground…along with the spider, which lunged at her. Evy threw out her hand to throw the spider back, right as Courtney grabbed a spray bottle from a small pack she'd been wearing, squirting the spider with it moments before it went flying into the wall from Evy's blow.

"Courtney!" Clara ran over to her, helping her to her feet and hugging her tightly.

"What was that?" the Doctor, who had hurried to the spider to examine it as it began to twitch and flop on the floor, turned to her, "In that bottle, what is it?"

"Kills 99 percent of all known germs," Courtney held up one of the cleaning chemicals she'd shown them before, the ones she'd brought incase she was sick again.

"You alright?" Clara looked her over.

"Why did I just fly?" Courtney asked instead, "This is nuts!"

"Spider?" LJ looked up as his mother as they watched the Doctor scan the creature on the ground as it stopped moving, "Pet!?" he brightened at the question.

"No," Evy let out a breath, "No, no spiders. No overgrown spiders for pets."

"Small spiders?" he tried.

"No."

He pouted at that, crossing his arms.

"Sorry boyo, but I agree," the Doctor stood, "Defintely not getting one of these things for a pet," he looked over at Courtney, "Did you say germs?" she nodded and he let out a whistle, "Would you look at the _size_ of it. It's the size of a badger!"

Evy closed her eyes a moment, "It's a giant germ?"

He nodded, "A prokaryotic unicellular life form with non-chromosomal DNA," he nodded, "Which means, she floated because that 1.3 billion tons shifted. It moved. It's an unstable mass…"

"I'm scared, Miss," Courtney breathed to Clara, who took her hand.

"He'd just had a granddaughter," Lundvik's voice cut through their soft talking, making them look over at where she was crouched beside Duke's body, or what was left of it, the germ had feasted so much that it was like a skeleton with bits of flesh stuck on, making Evy grimace and look away, "Elina. She was his first. He was my teacher. He taught me how to fly. We were both given the sack on the same day."

The Doctor looked between Evy and Lundvik, knowing that whatever was happening…it ahd to be discovered and worked out and quickly, "Which way to the Mare Fecunditatis?"

Lundvik nodded, remembering her mission, and stood, turning to lead the way out.

"Please," Courtney looked at the Time Lords, "Can I go home now? I'm really…I'm really sorry, Miss," she looked at Clara, "I…he didn't say anything about me not being special. I made it up so…so you'd get cross enough to get him to talk to me and I…I'm sorry, but I'd like to go home."

The Time Lords could only nod at that, "Come on then," the Doctor gestured for her them to follow. They couldn't bring her home just yet…but they could make sure she'd be safe.

~8~

Evy was starting to huff a bit as she walked, following the Doctor across the moonscape, LJ was…her son, yes, and she loved holding him, she did…but he was a growing boy and he was getting heavier every day. She should put him down, let him walk for himself, she really should…but after the last attack by those creatures, she didn't want him to be too far from her incase they had to run. It would be easier to do so with him already in her arms than pull him to her and scoop him up.

Though next time they had to do anything like this, the Doctor was going to be tethered to their son and SHE would be running the show…not that she couldn't now, but she just…she needed Clara to work this out with the Doctor, follow a Time Lord logic just a little while longer, that was all, that was why she kept her peace, it would work out in the end, she was sure of it.

"Henry, come in," Lundvik tried to get the middle aged man who had gone out to prime the bombs, he wasn't answering as of yet, "If you don't mind, Henry, come in."

"Hey," Clara murmured, coming up beside the Time Lords, speaking quietly, "This is dangerous now."

"It was dangerous before Clara," Evy remarked, "We stepped into a room full of bombs, doesn't get much more dangerous than that."

"Everything's dangerous if you want it to be," the Doctor shrugged, "Eating chips is dangerous."

"Yum!" LJ cheered at the thought of chips.

"Crossing the road…"

"Chicken!"

The Doctor chuckled at that, apparently Luke had taught him the 'chicken crossing the road' joke when Sarah Jane had taken the boy last, "It's no way to live your life. Tell her," he nodded back at Courtney who was following close behind them, in between them and Lundvik, "You're supposed to be teaching her."

"Look, I have a duty of care, ok?" Clara huffed, "You know what that is?"

"Course we know what a duty of care is," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "What are you suggesting? She's fine," he gestured at Courtney, making the girl aware they were talking about her and looked back at her, "What are you, 35?"

"I'd say more 13," Evy remarked.

"I'm 15!" Courtney cried, more outraged by Evy's guess than his.

The Doctor shrugged and stepped into the shuttle, leading the way back to the TARDIS and opening the doors for Courtney, "Now, don't touch anything."

"You got any games?" Courtney walked in.

"Oh, don't be so stupid!"

"Just ask the TARDIS," Evy told her, "She can bring up some computer games, both past and future, on the monitor if you ask her politely."

"Can I get reception up here?"

"Best reception in the universe," Evy nodded, pointing at her, "Behave."

Courtney just rolled her eyes but she had a smile on her face as the Time Lords shut the door, turning around to see Lundvik fiddling with the bombs.

Clara frowned when she saw the Doctor locking the doors, not just keeping Courtney in but keeping them out, "Why are you shutting her in? We don't need to stay, do we?"

"We do," Evy nodded.

"But why?" Clara shook her head, "I mean…the moon doesn't break up."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah," Clara nodded.

"How?"

"Well, we've been in the future, and the moon is still there," she pointed out, sounding far too sure, so much so, so much like the Doctor really, that Clara actually winced and took it back, "I mean, I THINK. I think the moon is there. It should be," she glanced at them, " _You_ know the moon is still there, right?"

Evy sighed at that, how Clara was putting it on THEM to confirm the moon being there when she'd been so sure just moments ago. She didn't even want to sound like a Time Lord did she? Yet she still wanted a Time Lord's confirmation.

"Maybe it isn't the moon," the Doctor shrugged, "Maybe it's a hologram or a big painting, or a special effect."

"Could be a completely different moon," Evy remarked.

"Yes," the Doctor smiled at her a bit, "The moon could have regenerated."

Evy rolled her eyes at that, she should have known, the moment she suggested the moon, that the references to her real name would be unending.

"But you would know," Clara argued.

"Would we?" Evy turned to her.

"If the moon fell to bits in 2049, somebody would've mentioned it," Clara said logically, "It would have come up in conversation, been listed in records, the humans would have done something to be funny like turn the hologram purple if it was a hologram and…"

Clara fell so silent so quickly, it actually seemed to startle the Doctor the look on her face, the wide eyed look that spoke of someone who had just said a major flub of some sort, something they hadn't wanted to say or admit, something that…scared them.

"Clara?" LJ asked, reaching out for her and tugging her hair, "Ok?"

Clara blinked rapidly, swallowing hard, "Yeah," she cleared her throat, "Yeah…fine," but she reached up to uncurl his fingers from her and took just a step out of his reach…which made LJ look up at his mother with a frown, his eyes asking if he had done something wrong to make Clara step away from him. She shook her head gently and he leaned his head on her shoulder, Evy look up to see Clara crossing her arms, seeming to be hugging herself, "Um…the moon, it…it couldn't have broken up," she continued, though she appeared very shaken, "The world couldn't have ended, not matter if time is rewritten," she shook her head at that, sounding more like she was upset about saying that last line than anything, "The human race and earth is always there. So, let's just…get in the TARDIS and go. Please," she looked at them, "Can we go? I…I'd like to go. I don't…I'm not…this trip is…I don't like it."

Evy gave her a sympathetic look, she knew why Clara was asking to go. It had nothing to do with the trip and everything to do with what she'd just said moments ago. She'd seen it, the complete devastation in Clara's eyes when she'd said 'the humans would have done something to be funny,' when she'd specified 'the humans' as though she wasn't counted among them. It had slipped out, she could see it, Clara hadn't even consciously thought it when she said it, but it came out…and THAT was what had made her increasingly uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry Clara," she shook her head, "We can't leave just yet."

"There are some moments in time that we simply can't see," the Doctor added, "Little eye-blinks. They don't look the same as other things. They're not clear. They're fuzzy, they're grey. Little moments in which big things are decided. And this is one of them," he nodded, "Just now, I can't tell what happens to the moon, because whatever happens to the moon hasn't been decided yet," he glanced at Evy, knowing she knew one version of what might happen or be happening, but it could change, easily, "And it's going to be decided here and now. Which very much sounds as though it's up to us."

They looked over when a light thudding sounded to see LJ was trying to clap through his thick gloves, giving up a moment or two later when the sound didn't sound right and pouted that he couldn't cheer his daddy's epic speeches right now. It was rarer, this incarnation, to give the truly epic speeches his last self was known for, but when it did happen…they were just as awe-inspiring.

The Doctor chuckled though, reaching out to pat LJ's back in thanks.

"As though any of you are going anywhere," Lundvik scoffed, "I've lost my crew. We were the last astronauts. This is the last shuttle," she gestured around, "These are the last nuclear bombs. We're _the last chance_ for Earth, and you're staying to help me."

"We were never leaving," Evy reassured her.

"Still, decision made," the Doctor glanced at Clara.

"Yeah," Clara let out a breath at that, looking down.

~8~

The Doctor sighed as he looked down at the survey equipment that the Mexicans had left standing, something having happened to them too quickly to take it down, "What is killing the moon?" he mumbled.

"Assassination attempts," Evy remarked offhandedly, "Falling bricks, a war, getting shot, deadly falls, radiation, Daleks…" she trailed off seeing the Doctor giving her an unamused look, "Ooh, are the moon jokes finally getting old?"

"That's not a moon joke," he shook his head, "That's a moon nightmare."

"Nightmare for the Earth perhaps," she shrugged, "The Moon was fairly ok with it all."

"Well the earth wasn't," the Doctor grumbled, "So let's not talk about the moon dying anymore."

"Ok," Evy nodded, "Let's talk about this hunk of rock dying then."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that, but it was Clara that spoke next, "How can the moon…rock," she corrected, seeing the Doctor shooting her a glare, "Die, though?"

"Everything does, sooner or later," Evy remarked.

"No more talk of dying!" the Doctor huffed.

Lundvik gave them a look as though they'd gone completely mad, not having a clue whatsoever about what they'd been going on about, "Can we save it?"

"Depends what's killing the rock."

"There are the other three," Lundvik sighed, pointing at the small spacesuits that were lying among the equipment. They'd been there so long by now that the white of the suits had turned gray, blending in with the sand around them, "Come on," she led the way down a small hill to the suits, seeing, the closer they got, that they were positioned near deep cracks and fissures in the ground.

"Is it those germ things, then?" Clara whispered as they got nearer, hearing a chittering from within the crack, "Are they like cockroaches?"

"Buggies!" LJ clapped.

Clara gave a small smile at that, but looked to the boy's parents instead, "Is it…is it an infestation?"

"Is it?" Lundvik glanced back at them.

"Well," the Doctor shrugged, "We've only seen one of them. It would take an awful lot more to cause the moon to put on 1.3 billion tons…" he glanced at Evy as he felt her thoughts shift to thinking of what story to read LJ when this was all over, he narrowed his eyes at her a bit for it, knowing it was her way of trying not to give away too much. He really did hate when he couldn't work out a puzzle for himself.

"Doctor!" Evy suddenly shouted, looking over at him just a moment before one of the creatures scuttled out of the crack and launched itself at the Doctor, causing him to fall back, struggling to get it off his helmet.

Clara gasped and tried to pull out Courtney's disinfectant to use, but Lundvik stopped her, "It's a vacuum. It won't work!"

Evy held LJ back as Clara and Lundvik grabbed a leg of the creature and pulled, managing to pry it off the Doctor and send it scurrying back to the crack.

"Well," the Doctor swallowed, startled, "That makes two then," he leaned in, trying to peer down at the crack, but it was too dark, "I can't see them…"

"Sunlight," Clara said suddenly.

"Sunlight?" Lundvik looked at her.

Clara blinked, staring with wide eyes as though she just realized she'd said that and shifted. She cleared her throat and looked away, "Um…yeah, germs…my…my nan, yes, my nan says it's the best disinfectant there is."

Evy let out a breath at that, shaking her head at Clara though the girl wasn't look her way to see. She knew, Clara's mind was basically screaming it out at the universe, that her nan hadn't said a thing like it. It was something else, some other life, perhaps even her Time Lady life that knew, scientifically, that the sunlight would be a good defense. And she was trying to play it off as some common human knowledge.

Oh Clara.

"Well then shine your light down there," the Doctor called, and Lundvik made her way over with her torch to do so…revealing thousands of the creatures crawling all over each other within the fissure.

"Where have they come from?!" Lundvik gaped, horrified and disgusted at the sight.

"Maybe they've been there all the time," the Doctor murmured, holding out a hand before it to feel, "It's warmish. They're multiplying, feeding, evolving…"

Lundvik pulled away suddenly, stepping back and forcing the Doctor and the others to follow, away from the fissure, "Doctor, if the moon breaks up, it'll kill us all in about 45 minutes."

"It might," Evy agreed, "Unless something else is happening than what you think…"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes at that and pulled his yo-yo out, flicking it once more to test the gravity, before turning and moving to a fissure, flicking the yo-yo into it…grimacing when it came back dripping wet.

"There's no water on the moon," Lundvik whispered, startled.

"No there isn't," Evy nodded, reaching forward with her sonic to flick it on and scan the liquid, holding it up for the Doctor to see.

His eyes widened at the results, "It's amniotic fluid," he breathed, "The stuff that life comes from…" he looked at Evy a moment, wanting badly to comment on how it seemed there was another pregnant moon around, but thought better of it, it would just start her commenting on other 'moon' things too and he didn't want to hear that again, "I've got to go down there!"

"Doctor," Lundvik reached out to stop him, but he was already heading for the largest fissure nearby.

"Back to your shuttle!" he called, "Get your bombs ready. You, Clara, get to the TARDIS. Get safe. Get Courtney safe. Evy, LJ," he glanced at them, knowing they wouldn't leave till he was out of the fissure again, "Give me just a mo and I'll be back!"

He snagged the disinfectant from Clara's hand and moved to the edge of the fissure.

"What?" Clara shook her head, "No. Doctor. Doctor!"

But it was too late, he'd already jumped right into it.

Clara sighed and looked at Evy, "You're not even going to slap him for that, are you?" she asked the woman.

"Can't say that I will," she bobbed LJ a bit higher on her hip, the boy trying to lean over to watch for his father.

Clara nodded, having expected that, "Times like these I really miss your last self."

Evy could only laugh at that, though she could agree, sometimes this Doctor did seem to need a good slap too.

Sadly, that wasn't her lot anymore, she'd much rather kiss him for coming back than slap him for going in the first place.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, oh LJ and your deadly creatures for pets. They really do need to get him a goldfish or something...though, knowing the Doctor, Evy would send him out for a goldfish and he'd come back with a miniature shark :)
> 
> Next chapter...a decision is made, a plan backfires, and someone is very, VERY cross with the Time Lords :(


	14. Kill the Moon (Part 2)

"Will he be back?" Lundvik frowned at the women.

"He will," Evy nodded, "He wouldn't leave us, would he LJ?" she asked the boy.

"Nope," LJ beamed up at her before leaning over so suddenly to return his watch for his father that she nearly dropped him and had to shift to keep him still.

"Miss?" Courtney's voice called out from Clara's side, "Come in."

Clara frowned but lifted her arm, pressing a button on her wrist comm., "Courtney?"

"I'm bored. When are you coming back?"

Clara glanced at Evy who could only shrug, "We're on our way. What you doing?"

"Putting some pictures on Tumblr."

Evy chuckled at that, though Clara seemed more alarmed, "No! Courtney, don't put any photos on Tumblr!"

"My granny used to put things on Tumblr," Lundvik remarked, a moment before the ground beneath them shook slightly, making them stumble, LJ quickly moving to grip his mother instead of lean over. Lundvik turned to check if they were ok, when she caught sight of something only a short distance away, now revealed as the ground had shifted, opening up another fissure that had toppled a boulder over, allowing her to see a small white spacesuit that was lying behind it, "There he is!" she gasped, rushing over as Clara and Evy joined her, "Henry!"

Evy grimaced and stepped back at the sight that greeted them. The helmet of the suit was open and exposed to the vacuum, but resting inside was nothing more than a skeleton. She looked away, out at the moonscape, not really all that pleased with the skeleton before her, it seemed she'd still retained her dislike of them.

"Was that where we landed?" Clara murmured, pointing a short distance away to where the shuttle was resting, new cracks scattered across the moon's surface, the entire area having shifted into an almost unrecognizable picture, "It looks so different."

"It's going down!" Lundvik cried as the cracks in the ground began to creak and crumble, the shuttle toppling right into it.

"Courtney!" Clara lunged forward, about to race for the shuttle, when Evy reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Clara no…" she tried to stop her.

"Courtney was in there!" Clara tugged at her arm, needing to get away.

"She was in the TARDIS," Evy reminded her, "She'll keep Courtney safe. You know that," she reminded Clara, "You know that the TARDIS is the safest place for anyone to be. Clara," she squeezed Clara's arm a bit to get her to look at her, shifting LJ up onto her hip more at the same time, "Clara, trust me," she looked into Clara's eyes, "Courtney is _fine_."

"But what if she's not?"

"She is," Evy nodded, "You know how the TARDIS works, you know she'd protect Courtney."

"But…"

"We don't have time," Lundvik cut in, "I'm sorry, but we're going to have to take cover. We're running out of oxygen!"

"Daddy!" LJ squealed suddenly, making them look over to see the Doctor climbing out of one of the cracks, his suit slightly wet from the amniotic fluid, but he was grinning as he hurried over to them.

He put his hand to the back of LJ and Evy's back, beaming at them all, "Today's the day, humankind!"

~8~

Clara frowned as she followed the others into the module, Lundvik behind them, and looked around as though something should be there that wasn't, "Where's the TARDIS?"

"She's in the shuttle, isn't she?" the Doctor glanced at her, sealing the door behind them and pulling his helmet off.

"She fell into one of the cracks," Evy told him, setting down LJ to take his helmet off.

"Ah," he nodded, "She'll turn up."

"And give you an earful for how much concern you're showing her," Evy muttered.

"Last time you said that, she turned up on the wrong side of the planet!" Clara huffed.

"Clara," Evy looked at her, "All you need to know is that Courtney is safe, she really is. Right now though, we are not. Right now, the Earth is not. We need you to focus and help us. Ok?"

Clara let out a huff of breath through her nose at that.

"If you want more proof," the Doctor frowned at Clara for her reaction, "Just phone her and see for yourself."

"And how do you propose I do that?" Clara put her hands on her hips, "It's not like I have her number."

"What about the school? Does the secretary have her number?"

"I can't. The secretary hates me. She thinks I gave her a packet of TENA Lady for Secret Santa. Look, Courtney's posting stuff on Tumblr. Doesn't that know where you are?" she looked more at Lundvik for that, knowing Evy's distaste and the Doctor's general lack of interest in the internet's social media sites.

"I don't know," the woman shrugged, "I'm not a historian!"

"Here," Evy sighed, holding out a hand to Clara, "Give me your phone."

Clara frowned but handed it over, watching as Evy began to sonic it.

"And now, if we could focus," the Doctor began, "I know what the problem is…oh," he grimaced, catching sight of something in Evy's mind as she fiddled with Clara's phone, an image of the moon, of them in spacesuits, and moved to her side seeing she'd found Courtney's tumblr, "She can't post that! She can't put pictures of us online!"

"Working on that dear," Evy remarked, flicking the sonic at the wall where a monitor came to life, showing Courtney sitting in the TARDIS, perfectly alive and safe, "Though I believe you were working on the moon?"

"Already worked on the moon," he shrugged, "Ended up with a Greek letter for it."

Evy couldn't help but smirk at that, shaking her head as LJ huffed, seeming to realize that his father was talking about the both of them. She glanced up at the monitor, "Hello, Courtney."

Courtney jumped and looked up, catching sight of them and moving closer to the monitor, "Yeah?"

"The Doctor would like me to inform you that you can't put pictures of us online."

"Are you ok?" Clara hurried to Evy's side, looking up at Courtney who just gave her an odd look for it.

"Er, I'm fine," Courtney remarked, "What's up?"

"I told you," Evy whispered to Clara, "Internal gravity and shielding, she's safer than anyone in the universe at the moment."

"I don't like this," Clara replied just as quietly.

"I know," Evy sighed, reaching out to touch her shoulder, "And I'm sorry, but you have to see it through to the end Clara. You'll understand why then. Can you trust us till then?"

Clara nodded.

"You said you know what the problem is?" Lundvik turned to the Doctor.

"Yes," he nodded quickly, "Yes. It's a rather big problem."

"Ok," Clara took a breath and looked at him, "Do you want to share it with the class?"

"Well, I had a little hypothesis…" he glanced at Evy to see her smiling in encouragement, which told him that she might know what he was guessing and that he was on the right track, "The seismic activity, the surface breaking up, the variable mass, the increase in gravity, the fluid…I scanned what's down there. What do you say, boyo?" he looked at LJ, squatting down to hold up his sonic to the boy, "Want to see what your dear old dad battled through monstrous germs to find?"

LJ beamed and nabbed the sonic out of his hands before he could even finish, about to flick it when the Doctor reached out to gently guide him to point it at a mobile console nearby so that it would work.

A moment later there was an enormous holographic projection of the Moon floating before them in 3D.

"Well done!" the Doctor cheered, holding up his hand for a high-five from his son, "You see?" he looked at Clara and Lundvik, knowing Evy already seemed to know what was happening, "The moon isn't breaking apart. Well, actually, it _is_ breaking apart, and rather quickly. We've got about an hour and a half. But that isn't the problem. It's not infested."

"What are they, then, those things?" Courtney asked from the monitor behind him.

"Bacteria. Tiny, tiny bacteria living on something very, very big. Something that weighs about 1.3 billion tons. Something that's living. Something growing," he slowly stood, his eyes locking onto Evy's as she smiled more, making him grin at solving the puzzle.

"Growing?" Clara, though, seemed confused.

"LJ?"

The boy blinked and looked at his father, confused, till the Doctor gave a small flick of his wrist that had LJ turning and flicking the sonic once more, changing the image to make the moon transparent…revealing what looked like a large, white dragon thing, there appeared to be wings but they couldn't be sure if it was really wings or some sort of thin membrane to help give it extra protection while it rested, curled inside the moon.

"That lives under the moon?" Courtney breathed.

"No," Evy shook her head.

"What?" Clara looked at her.

"That IS the moon," she turned to Clara with a gentle smile, "The moon surrounds IT."

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Lundvik demanded.

"All these cracks you're seeing, they aren't the moon breaking apart, it's just…the shell of a creature starting to shift as the being inside hatches."

Clara blinked at that, "Huh?"

"The moon's an egg," the Doctor said simply.

"Has it, er, has it _always_ been an egg?"

"Yes," Evy gave a small laugh, "For a hundred million years or so."

"Just…just _growing_ ," the Doctor smiled at the image, at the creature just sleeping contentedly, breathing softly, "Just getting ready to be born."

"Ok…so the moon has never been the moon?"

"No, no, no, no," the Doctor shook his head, "It's never been dead. It's just taking a long time to come alive."

"Is it a chicken?" Courtney called.

"No," Evy laughed.

"Cos, for a chicken to have laid an egg that big…"

"Courtney, don't spoil the moment," the Doctor huffed.

"But…" Clara shook her head, frowning at the hologram, "What is it?"

The Doctor couldn't help but smile as he watched his son walk the few paces to the hologram, reaching out to try and touch the hologram, seeming to be petting the creature gently even with his hand distorting the image, "I think that it's unique. I think that's the only one of its kind in the universe. I think that that is utterly beautiful."

"Pretty," LJ murmured, before spinning around, grinning up at his mother and opening his mouth.

"No," she cut in, "If you can't have a spider or a panther for a pet, you are NOT having one of those."

LJ pouted and huffed, crossing his arms.

The Doctor had only just started to chuckle at his son's antics…when Lundvik spoke and truly spoiled the moment.

"How do we kill it?"

"What?" the Time Lords all looked at her.

"Why'd you want to kill it?" Clara stared at her in horror.

"It's a little baby," even Courtney was on their side.

"How do we kill it?" Lundvik repeated.

"We don't," Evy shook her head.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, "There will be no killing of the moon."

"Fine," Lundvik huffed, "Then how do we kill that thing?" she pointed violently at the creature.

The Doctor opened his mouth to repeat what Evy had said, that they were NOT going to kill the creature, when Evy spoke, startling him with her words, "You DO have all those bombs stashed away," she reminded the woman, "IF that's what you want to do."

"Will that do it?" Lundvik frowned.

' _Evy?_ ' the Doctor frowned at his Link, not having expected her to even bring up something that would help kill the creature. Surely she had to know that even mentioning the bombs would remind the woman of their existence and make Lundvik consider killing the creature all the more.

Evy glanced at him, ' _I don't like it,_ ' she echoed Clara's words, ' _But…they need to know,_ ' she gave him a pleading look, ' _They need to know that the bombs will work, if they choose to use them. Just…trust me._ '

He nodded slightly and looked back at Lundvik, "A hundred nuclear bombs set off right where we are, right on top of a living, vulnerable creature? It'll never feel the sun on its back."

"And then what?" Lundvik looked between them, "Will the moon still break up? You said…you said we had an hour and a half?"

"Without the creature pushing its way out," Evy sighed, "No, the shell wouldn't break up."

"Yes, the gravity of the little dead baby will pull all the pieces back together again," the Doctor added with a frown to Lundvik, who was still looking at this in terms of the moon being a rock and not an egg…and it was even more unsettling to him. For all his jokes before about the moon and things, with Evy's real name in mind, this was hitting too close to home. Because, for him, the moon of his life WAS alive as well, was a living, breathing being…just like this moon was, "Of course, it won't be very pretty. You'd have an enormous corpse floating in the sky. You might have some very difficult conversations to have with your kids."

"I don't have any kids," the woman stated bluntly.

"Stop!" Clara cut in, shaking her head, her eyes closed for a moment before she took a breath and looked at them, "Right, listen. This is a…this is a life. I mean, this must be the biggest life in the universe…"

"It's not even been born!" Courtney agreed.

"It is _killing_ people," Lundvik stressed, "It is destroying the Earth!"

"You cannot blame a baby for kicking!" Clara argued.

"Let me tell you something. You want to know what I took back from being in space? Look at the edge of the Earth," Lundvik gestured out the window, to the image of the Earth hanging in space, "The atmosphere, that is _paper thin_. That is the _only_ thing that saves us all from death. Everything else, the stars, the blackness. That's all dead. Sadly, that is the only life any of us will ever know."

"There's life here," Courtney frowned, "There's life just next door."

"Look, when you've grown up a bit, you'll realize that everything doesn't have to be nice. Some things are just bad. Anyway, you ran away. It's none of your business."

Courtney glared at that, "I want to come back," she stated, if she wasn't allowed to have a say because she wasn't there, then she would BE there to do it.

"Courtney," Clara shook her head, "You'll be safer where you are."

Evy glanced over at where Lundvik was starting to ender the codes to the bombs as Courtney spoke again, "Look, I'm sorry. I want to come back, ok? I want to help."

"The DVDs," Evy told her, pulling her gaze away from where it had shifted to Clara with a regretful look in her eyes, and forced herself to turn to Courtney…if her plan was going to work, they would need the TARDIS back, "On the blue book shelf just up the stairs, pick one and put it in the slot on the console. It'll trigger an autopilot that will bring the TARDIS to us."

"Right," Courtney nodded.

"And make sure you hang on to the console," the Doctor called as Courtney disappeared off to the side, "Otherwise the TARDIS will leave you behind."

"So what do we do?" Clara walked over to them as Evy picked up LJ, "Huh?" she looked between them, "What do we do?"

But the Doctor was just staring at Evy, a frown on his face as she stared right back, clutching LJ to her, something passing between them that she couldn't read. She could see Evy's eyes turn pleading only moments before the Doctor gave a small nod.

"Nothing."

She blinked at the Doctor's response, "What?"

" _We_ don't do anything," the Doctor turned to her, keeping her from seeing Evy letting out a relieved breath, "I'm sorry, Clara. We can't help you."

"Of course you can help," Clara's eyes widened.

"No," he shook his head, "The Earth isn't our home. The moon's not our moon, not my moon," he glanced at Evy who nodded and back, "Sorry."

"Come on," Clara shook her head, not believing what she was hearing, "Hey…"

Even LJ seemed a bit confused by their words.

"Listen, there are moments in every civilization's history in which the whole path of that civilization is decided," the Doctor told her, holing to pull LJ's suspicion away with another 'epic speech' to distract him, "The whole future path. Whatever future humanity might have depends upon the choice that is made right here and right now. Now, you've got the tools to kill it," he glanced at Lundvik for that, "You made them. You brought them up here all on your own, with your own ingenuity," and back to Clara with a gentle smile, "You don't need a Time Lord. Kill it. Or let it live. We can't make this decision for you."

"Yeah, well, I can't make it…" Clara began to argue, the added remark that she wasn't human either on the tip of her tongue before she seemed to realize what she was about to say and snapped her mouth shut.

Evy nodded softly at that, "You CAN," she told Clara.

"What, a…a school teacher and an astronaut?"

"Who's better qualified?" the Doctor laughed lightly.

"The Earth was once saved by a kiss-o-gram and a driller," Evy remarked, "There's no one better to make this choice than you, Clara."

"What about…I don't know, the President of America!" Clara shouted.

"Oh, take something off his plate," the Doctor waved his hand, "He makes far too many decisions anyway."

"She," Lundvik called.

"She," he amended, "Sorry. She hasn't even been into space," he told Clara, "She hasn't been to another planet. How would she even know what to do?"

Clara shook her head at them, "Please…I am asking you for _help_."

"Listen, we all went to dinner in Berlin in 1937, right?" the Doctor tried to deter her, "We didn't nip out after pudding and kill Hitler. We've never killed Hitler. And you wouldn't expect us to kill Hitler. The future is no more malleable than the past."

"Ok," Clara's voice took on a threatening tone, "Don't you do this to make some kind of point!"

"We're sorry Clara," Evy gave her an apologetic look, "Sometimes points have to be made, and the one we're trying to make is too important for us to muck it up."

"So, actually, no, we're not really sorry," the Doctor remarked, "It's your moon, it's your choice."

"And you're just going to stand there?" Clara scoffed.

The Doctor looked over as they heard the wheezing of the TARDIS growing louder in the center of the room, disrupting the hologram, "Absolutely not," he told her, heading for the doors, his hand on Evy's back as they went, stepping aside to let Courtney out before he helped his Link step inside.

"Doctor…" Clara frowned, frozen in place as she watched Evy enter.

"A teenager, an astronaut and a schoolteacher," the Doctor smiled at them from the doorway.

"Hang on a minute," Lundvik stared at the TARDIS, "We can get in there, can't we? You can sort it out with that thing."

"No," the Doctor looked at them, his gaze settling on Clara, "Some decisions are too important not to make on your own."

And, with that, he shut the doors on them, locking them behind him and hurrying to the console, nodding at Evy who pulled a lever and sent them off into the Vortex. He waited till they had fully dematerialized, till they couldn't hear Clara calling for them any longer, before he braced his hands on the console and bowed his head a moment.

"Thank you," Evy spoke, moving over to him and putting her hand on his arm, "For trusting me with this."

He looked up at her, smiling softly, thinking about the plan she had revealed to him only moments before the TARDIS had arrived, her plan for some sort of existential crisis Clara was facing, and what she needed him to do to set in motion, "It's a hell of a gamble," he warned her.

"I know," she nodded, swallowing hard, "But…this is something Clara needs to confront…and she can't do it with us there, not with Time Lords around. It's something she needs to realize on her own."

"I just hope she does," he murmured, "She may be a Time Lady now, but she's still got that bit of pudding brain in her," he leaned in and kissed her gently, resting his forehead to hers, "I hope this works."

"So do I," Evy agreed, closing her eyes and just…letting herself rest against him a moment, she really, really hoped this worked.

~8~

The Time Lords were silent, standing before the monitor of the console, waiting, watching, hoping that they hadn't been wrong, that they hadn't mucked this up, and that Clara would pull through this. Evy had read about this moment, this particular moment in time, had researched it ages ago, the knowledge of it drifting to the back of her mind and the Doctor's as well. There was going to be a transmission, there was going to be a transmission that changed the fate of the planet, or so the history books said.

Right now, they were waiting for that.

They'd been standing there, staring at the monitor, at the countdown that Lundvik had set for the bombs, one hour, one hour to make a decision about the moon-egg and what to do with it. One hour for Clara, Courtney, and Lundvik to decide. And it was counting down, the minutes seeming to tick down like seconds to their minds.

But there was going to be a transmission, and they needed to see what it said, they needed to see what Clara would do, because from what they knew of Lundvik and Courtney, it would be Clara that thought to make a transmission.

Just as the countdown reached 45 minutes left, Clara's face appeared on a monitor, "Hello, hello. Hello, Earth. We have a terrible decision to make. It's an uncertain decision and we don't have a lot of time. The ones who normally help, they've gone," the Doctor and Evy glanced at each other for that, "Maybe they're not coming back. In fact, I…I really don't think they are. We're on our own. We can kill this creature," the image shifted to the moon, to the creature inside it, "Or we can let it live. We don't know what it's going to do, we don't know what's going to happen when it hatches. If it will hurt us, help us, or just leave us alone. We have to decide together. So, an innocent life vs. the future of all mankind. We have 45 minutes to decide. This is the last time we'll be able to speak to you, but you can send us a message. If you think we should kill the creature, turn your lights off. If you think we should take the chance, let it live, leave your lights on. We'll be able to see. Goodnight, Earth."

The Doctor let out a breath as the transmission ended, the screen fading to static for a moment before returning to the countdown, "She's clever," he murmured, "No denying that came from her Time Lady side."

"Oh I don't think so," Evy remarked, "I think it was a very human thing to do."

"But what will the humans decide?" the Doctor glanced at her.

"Time can be rewritten," she said softly.

"I hope this period won't," the Doctor admitted, "This, what you learned happened…it will make everything worth it in the end."

Evy swallowed hard at that, hearing the unspoken warning in his words, that if this changed, if the wrong decision happened…then everything she was putting Clara through would be for nothing, "Come on," she took his hand and led him towards the TARDIS doors, glancing back at LJ who was still working on his puzzle, having gotten bored of staring at the ticking numbers with his parents.

They pushed open the doors and looked down at the Earth, hanging in space, the TARDIS close enough where they could make out the lights of the different countries. And there they stood, still as statues, watching, the Doctor glancing at his watch from time to time.

"30 minutes," he murmured…when the first set of lights began to turn OFF.

Evy let out a breath, seeing it, but they waited more.

"15 minutes," he reported, the lights now more than halfway dark.

Evy closed her eyes, her hand gripping his tightly…when they reached…

"5 minutes," he whispered.

She opened her eyes to see the entire planet going dark right before her eyes. The entire planet had turned off their lights, the humans had spoken…and they'd just voted to kill the creature in the moon.

"It's time then," she nodded to herself, turning to him, "If it's going to happen, it'll happen right now."

He gave her a solemn nod and they walked back to the console, trying to keep their pace calm and sedate so as not to alert their son to what was happening. If they were wrong about what was coming, LJ didn't need to see this.

The timer had gone to under a minute by the time they reached it, nearing 30 seconds as they watched on baited breath, both of them reaching out to grip a control of the console, needing to be fast if it got too close…

Their knuckles were white from their gripping when the countdown reached 2 seconds…and STOPPED.

"Thata girl Clara," Evy nearly sagged in relief, turning to hug the Doctor tightly at the sheer weight that had just lifted off her in seeing that timer freeze as it had.

"We need to go," the Doctor murmured in her ear, "We need to show them, they have to SEE it to understand."

Evy nodded quickly and pulled away, the two of them hurrying to get the TARDIS out of space and back onto the moon, onto the module. They ran to the doors the second the box thumped down and threw them open to see Lundvik glaring at Clara, who was staring at the woman with wide eyes, Courtney looking between the two women, unsure of what to do.

"Oi!" the Doctor called, "One, two, three, into the TARDIS."

"Quickly, quickly!" Evy urged them.

"What's happening?" Lundvik frowned at them.

"Come and see," Evy held out a hand to them, Courtney quickly taking it as Evy tugged her into the box.

"Come on you lot, move!" the Doctor nodded his head towards the box, Lundvik moving into it as Clara hesitated, looking at the Doctor with an unreadable expression, "Clara?"

"Yeah," Clara nodded slowly, "I'm coming," she still hesitated a moment longer before stepping past him and into the box.

He frowned, watching her pass, but quickly shut the door and ran to help his Link pilot the box back to Earth where they'd have the best view of what was going to happen now.

"Bloody idiots," he glanced up at Lundvik muttering at them, "Bloody irresponsible idiots…"

"Mind your language," Evy shot her a warning look, "Our son is present."

The Doctor snorted, "He's probably heard worse from Jack."

"Don't remind me," Evy muttered, "Don't remind HIM. We've only just gotten him to stop with the bad words."

The Doctor chuckled and leaned against her to pull a lever on her other side.

"You should have left me there," Lundvik moved to Evy's other side, "Let me die. I wanted to die up there with the universe in front of me, not being crushed to death on Earth!"

"Nobody's going to die," the Doctor rolled his eyes at her.

"Just give us one more mo," Evy told her, "And you'll see exactly what we mean."

She pulled a lever and the box landed with a thump, "Come on," she moved to the doors, pulling them open as the Doctor scooped up LJ to carry him out.

They'd parked on a beach, the ocean waves gently coming in before them, the sky clear, the clouds white as ever, everything absolutely calm…

Save for the fact that the 'moon' was literally breaking apart.

Though the effect was diminished by the beautiful sight of the creature inside it spreading its wings and taking its first breath, feeling the warmth of the sun on it, and being able to look upon the universe for the first time ever.

"What's it doing?" Courtney whispered as they stared in awe of the creature moving its arms.

"It's feeling the sun on itself," the Doctor smiled, "It's getting warm. The chick flies away and the eggshell disintegrates. Harmless."

"Did you know?" Clara glanced at them.

"You made the decision, Clara," Evy smiled at her, "Humanity made its choice known."

"No," Lundvik frowned, shaking her head, "We ignored humanity."

"Did you?" Evy glanced over at them, almost beaming at Clara though the girl just looked away and back at the sky.

Lundvik let out a deep breath, "So what happens now, then?" she turned to them when they said nothing, "Tell me what happens now."

"Eves?" the Doctor looked at her.

She gave a small laugh, stepping closer to him and putting her hand on LJ's back as the boy beamed and waved at the creature, "If the path stays the same as now…humans will start venturing into space in the mid-21st century, faster and farther than ever before. And so it will keep doing, till the very end of time," she locked eyes with the Doctor, both of them thinking about the End of the Universe, both of them having been there, both of them having seen the progression of the human journey into space, "They stopped, once, in 2049, they'd stopped going into space…till something…amazing happened," she nodded at the moon though the others were all looking at her, "And it made them want to go out there and see what other amazing things the Universe could offer, on the moon, on Mars, out into the farthest reaches of space and time."

"Not bad for a girl from Coal Hill School and her teacher, eh?" the Doctor smiled at them.

Courtney started to grin at that thought, that she had helped set humanity on that course, and looked back at the creature, only to gasp, "Oh, my gosh! It laid a new egg," she pointed, making them look up at where a brand new egg was resting in the old one's place, another, newer moon, hanging above the earth, "It's beautiful. Ooh, it's beautiful."

"That's what we call a new moon," the Doctor laughed at the sight of the white, pristine orb, flattened and without craters, before he reached out and took Evy's hand, "Or a regenerated moon."

Evy shook her head at him but couldn't help but laugh at that, she was alright with that reference.

Courtney looked over at Lundvik, "You can be the first woman on that."

"I think that somebody deserves a thank you," the Doctor remarked, eyeing the woman.

"Yeah, probably," Lundvik nodded, seeing them both glancing at Clara, the girl standing there with her arms crossed, completely silent, staring at the moon, "Thank you," she offered the woman, drawing Clara's attention just long enough for her to add, "Thank you for stopping me. Thank you for giving me the moon back."

Clara gave her one more nod and turned back to the moon.

"I wonder what it is though," Courtney mused, frowning at the sky, the creature nowhere in sight any longer.

Evy just smiled at that, making the Doctor look at her curiously. She gave him a playful shrug, ' _I DID tell the Star Whale that I didn't think he was the last of his kind,_ ' she nodded at the moon, ' _Seems I was right._ '

His eyes widened at that, his gaze snapping back to the moon, before he laughed, shaking his head in wonder. He could see a resemblance to the Star Whale from the creature. If the Star Whale was male, and that one in the egg was female, the extra little 'wings' could just be the female's anatomy, similar to how the male Star Whale's appendages had been tentacles.

"Brilliant," he breathed.

"Brilliant!" LJ mimicked his father.

The Doctor smiled at his son, ruffling his hair, before he turned to Lundvik, "Ok, Captain, well, you've got a whole new space program to get together. NASA is er…" he turned in a circle, "It's that way," he pointed behind them.

"About 2,500 miles," Evy added, "So if you're up for one more trip," she nodded at the TARDIS, "We can give you a lift."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, glancing at Courtney, "You still got your vortex manipulators? We'll give you a run home while we're at it."

Evy moved to push the doors to the TARDIS open, holding it for the Doctor and the others to enter, "Clara," she reached out as the girl passed by last, "Are you ok?"

Clara looked at her with almost blank eyes, "It depends."

"On what?" Evy frowned.

"On what you say to me once those two are off," Clara gestured at Courtney and Lundvik, before stepping further into the console room, leaving Evy looking at her concerned, a deep pit of something starting to form in the pit of her stomach at Clara's expression and words.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy looked up from the console to see Clara walking behind Courtney as the two made their way down the upper stairs towards them, both out of their spacesuits and in their civilian clothing. They glanced at each other at the look on Clara's face, for as blank as she was trying to make it, they could see something like fury bubbling under the surface of it. It made them glad that they'd put LJ to bed early again, they hadn't quite lifted his punishment from the biting incident yet, so the boy wouldn't question why they really didn't want him in the console room at the moment.

Whatever was coming with Clara…it seemed like it was not going to be the good reaction they were hoping for.

"Not that it's any of our business," the Doctor remarked as Clara reached them, "But we both think you did the right thing."

"Yeah, you're right," Clara nodded, "It's none of your business. Come on, Courtney, off you go. Double Geography, right?"

Courtney gave her a look for that, "School's just finished, Miss," she reminded Clara.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded, "5 minutes ago," he double checked, "Shouldn't worry your folks too much to be a bit late getting home yeah?"

Courtney shrugged and started for the door, only to stop in the doorway and turn to them once more, "Can we do it again?"

"Go," Clara said firmly, not giving the others a moment to answer, "Go, go. Chop chop. Home."

Courtney rolled her eyes but left, the Doctor reaching out to start the box off, feeling whatever conversation was coming would be safest in the Vortex…only for Clara to reach out and snap the lever he'd lifted back down.

"Tell me what you knew," she demanded, looking more at the Doctor than Evy, as though she thought HE had been the mastermind behind this event.

"Nothing," the Doctor said truthfully, he really hadn't known anything till the very end, "I told you…"

"Tell me what you knew!" Clara crossed her arms, her eyes narrowed at him, "Tell me or else I'll smack you so hard you'll regenerate!"

"Clara!" Evy moved to his side, startled by how vehement she was getting, " _He_ didn't know anything…"

"I knew that eggs are not bombs," the Doctor offered, knowing that the second Evy said that SHE knew what was coming, Clara would go on the attack, and he was NOT going to let his Link face another angry Time Lady alone if he could help it. HE had been the one to trust her, HE had been the one not to question her even when he knew she was planning something, so it was just as much on him as her, "I know they don't usually destroy their nests."

"Clara, the point is that we knew you would always make the best choice," Evy tried to placate her, "That you'd make the RIGHT choice. Because you're..."

Clara shook her head, "You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed, "That is…that is a load of utter rubbish!"

"Clara…what happened back there, it wasn't a decision WE could make," Evy tried to explain.

"Then why go there!?" Clara shouted, "Why leave? Why not even just STAND there? Was it for Courtney, was that it?"

"No," Evy shook her head, "We didn't want to influence you."

"And Courtney didn't need that trip," the Doctor waved it off as well, "She would always become the President of the United States, meet this bloke called Blinovitch…"

"Oh shut up!" Clara snapped, "Shut up, shut up!"

"Look, Clara, we didn't do it for Courtney," the Doctor tried to calm her down, both Time Lords starting to get a little concerned, this was…so far from the reaction they'd expected they weren't sure what to do or say that wouldn't set her off, " _I_ didn't know what was going to happen. Do you think I'm lying?"

Clara was nearly panting, tears in her eyes, her expression so, so angry that it was worrying them, "I don't know," she tried to calm herself, "I don't know. If you didn't do it for her, I mean…"

"Clara," Evy sighed, "We did it for YOU."

"What?" Clara shook her head, thrown, "What could this trip _possibly_ have done for me?" she scoffed, "Nothing! That's what. It was pointless! It was a…a…cruel situation to put me in. It was…it was cheap, it was pathetic. It was…"

"It was meant to HELP you Clara," Evy cut in, holding her ground against the girl. No matter if Clara was her son's Link, or a Time Lady, or anything, she was still a young woman, and she was not going to let anyone talk to her or shout at her in her own home, not even Clara.

"Help me?" Clara gaped at them, "That was NOT helping me!"

"It _was_ ," Evy nodded, firm, "It was us giving you a chance to realize something about yourself. It was us trying to help you find yourself, and understand who you are."

"Who I am?" Clara echoed once more, "How did _that_ help me understand anything? I nearly didn't press that button!"

She almost let the alien die for the sake of the humans, and something twisted in her gut at the thought that...if the world HAD ended because of the moon breaking up...she'd just picked the alien over the entirety of the Earthling human race. And that nearly made her sick to think, because a small voice in the back of her head niggled at her that she couldn't have picked the humans over the alien, one that might be the last of its kind, that an alien shouldn't have had to be forced to pick over another alien or humans. So what did it mean that she picked the alien? Was it the right thing to do? Or was it the alien part of her driving her to do it?

"But you DID, and THAT was the point!"

Clara opened her mouth to demand more answers…when something else hit her, something much more disturbing than why she might have picked the alien over the humans, it was the fact that she'd even had to make that choice in the first place...and WHY, and what had led to it being up to HER, "…YOU knew," she breathed, the realization hitting her so firmly in the gut that she actually took a few steps back, all of Evy's little comments coming back to her in a rush, all the little remarks about how the trip was important and she had to see it through to the end and...just everything, "You knew, you knew exactly what was going to happen the entire time didn't you? YOU did, not the Doctor but…but YOU?"

Evy let out a long breath, but nodded, "I did."

"And you…you just…you _let i_ t happen?" Clara shook her head, "No…no, you MADE it happen!" she looked at Evy accusingly, "You put me in that position, you LEFT me. You forced me into that…that horrible situation! And that…that isn't right…because you…" the tears started to fall from her eyes as the accusation started to turn to anger, "I expected that from _him_ ," she jerked a thumb at the Doctor, who had stepped back slightly to allow Evy to hold her own against Clara, knowing his Link wouldn't appreciate him trying to face down Clara for her when she was fully capable, "Not from you, never from YOU," and then the anger changed to betrayal, "You were supposed to be the one that _stopped him_ and kept him in line, kept him from doing things like this and I don't understand, no one would...you _wouldn't_ …" and melted from betrayal to utter horror, "Or is this it?" she looked between them, the tears falling too much for her to try and hold them back.

"Is what it?" Evy said quietly, not even able to get a read off of Clara's mind it was racing and so cluttered.

"Is _this_ what it means to be a Time Lady?" Clara shook her head, because she knew Evy-her-friend wouldn't do that to her, but...would Evy-the-Time-Lady, would any Time Lady have done that? Her mind drifted back to what Danny had said about how the two were talking about the threat to the school, like they were outside it, because they weren't human. And now Evy had done the same, Evy had put her into a situation, without care, because Evy wasn't human enough to care, that had to be it...but if it was...if THAT was what alien-Evy was like...what did that mean for HER? "That…that you force people into situations like this and just…just stand on the side and _watch_? That you see them terrified and horrified and…and needing help, _begging_ for help, with too much put on them and just…stand there and ignore them? Is _that_ what a Time Lady truly is cos…cos if it IS," she swallowed hard, stepping back from them, "Then I _don't_ want it. I don't want to become that, become _you_ ," she looked Evy dead in the eye as she said that, Evy merely straightening her back and looking her right back, "I don't want to be that. I don't want to turn into that and that's…that's exactly what'll happen if I stay with you, isn't it? I'll stay with you and travel with you so much and so long that I'll forget what it means to have ever been human?" she shook her head, "I won't let that happen. So you just…just _go_ , leave me on Earth with what's left of my humanity and go away!"

"Clara!" Evy shouted as Clara turned and ran out of the TARDIS, slamming the door behind her, "Clara!"

"Well," the Doctor murmured after a moment, making his way over to his Link as she slumped, resting his hands on her shoulder and squeezing comfortingly, "That backfired rather spectacularly."

Evy let out a scoffing breath at that, "Do you think?"

The worst part was...Clara had completely missed the point of what she was trying to help her understand.

And now...now it seemed like she'd never get the chance to explain it, explain the point that Clara had missed so entirely.

~8~

The Doctor was standing at the console, absently fiddling with one of the controls, the TARDIS parked just outside Clara's flat building, not inside her flat, but just outside the Powell Estates, waiting, hoping Clara might see them and, when she'd calm down, come speak to them so they could explain. Evy curled up in the armchair on the mid-level, watching the Doctor working away, not wanting to see the monitor showing her what she feared, that Clara wasn't going to come speak to them.

This entire mess...it was all her fault, but if Clara would just give her a _chance_ to explain the point of the trip, she knew it would be cleared up quickly. Until then...all they could do was hope and wait.

She looked over when a knock sounded on the TARDIS doors, glancing at the Doctor before she slowly got up and moved over to the doors, opening one...

Only to see J...no, the Captain...standing there with a very, very cross look on his face.

"I'm going to ask you one question," he told them, stepping in, "Just one. And I would _very_ much appreciate an answer because Clar's not speaking to me at the moment," he grit his teeth at that fact, "She doesn't even want to _see_ me. So tell me," he looked at them, "What. Did. You. Do. To. Clara?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, angry Captain lol :) I'm probably a little evil to leave it like that, but I hope you liked the chapter :) We'll find out exactly what the Time Lords were planning and why they left everything up to Clara very soon ;) I can say Clara might feel more than a little guilty for blowing up at them here when she finds out what it was all really about ;)
> 
> I know many of you probably didn't want Clara to blow up at the Doctor and Evy, especially with her not being with Danny in the story. But I felt like it was a really powerful and emotional moment and, with a slightly different context to it, it could really be a good moment of understanding, internal realization, and growth for Clara when she realizes how badly she reacted and what really happened on the Moon. She thinks it was about showing her what it means to be a Time Lady, to be the one to make those big and horrifying decisions on behalf of the humans...and she couldn't be more wrong ;) I also wanted to show that Evy can make mistakes, she thought that this plan of hers would work, and work well, with a good reaction from Clara at the end of it, that Clara would work out what the intent was, but it went over Clara's head and it blew up in her face :( She made a mistake in how she handled this situation and the consequence was Clara getting the wrong message and the fight they had :(
> 
> Next chapter...tiny Time Lords are cute, bow-ties are evil, but ghost stories are fun! ;)


	15. Mummy on the Orient Express (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Happy Holidays, to celebrate, I've posted 2 chapters today and I'll post 2 tomorrow too ;)

Evy frowned as she looked over at Clara across the console, pulling a lever to land the TARDIS. It had been an…entire mess. All of it, ever since they'd taken Clara to the moon when it was hatching. It had all just gone downhill from there and, worst yet, their son was suffering from it, BOTH of them, both LJ and his future self as well.

The Captain had found them outside Clara's flat and demanded to know what they'd done to Clara because he had NO memory of Clara ever being that cross with them or him that she would refuse to see him. He was sure that they had to have done something that disrupted the timelines because of it, he couldn't pinpoint what it was or guess at what they'd done. He had been completely lost as to what was upsetting his Link. He'd tried not to pry into Clara's life and mind when she was on a trip with them, and it had been so much worse when he'd gone to see her afterwards. He'd felt her getting upset and gone to see her, only for the jumble of her mind, all the other lives in there, to block him out of seeing what was making her so frantic. She'd shouted at him to go away and leave him alone and he'd panicked.

He had NOT been happy to hear about their trip to the moon, that something had happened there that upset Clara…but even he could admit, once he'd calmed down, that he didn't know what was upsetting Clara either. HE remembered the moon from being there, as a child he hadn't really noticed anything that was that bad with Clara's reactions. He remembered being put to bed early, being promised to take a trip and see his Aunt Martha for her own tales of adventures on the moon, and…then Clara was there and back and travelling with them to…he'd cut himself off then with a small smile of 'spoilers' but that was all he'd said. In his memory, Clara was fine and travelling with them…but right now that seemed almost impossible and he was scared, he was actually scared the timelines were about to shift on him.

They'd sent him off to distract himself, visit Jack or Jenny or someone to keep him to himself while they handled Clara. If wasn't HIS fault after all, it was HER fault, SHE had been the one to come up with the stupid trip in the first place. She really didn't know what was wrong though. She knew enough to understand that what she'd intended the trip to symbolize and help Clara realize had gotten lost in the translation, she got that rather well. But she didn't understand what Clara had taken it as and she didn't understand why she was so upset. If she did…if she knew, then she could promise the girl she wouldn't ever do it again. But every time she tried to think on what it could be, she got nothing. It wasn't any more dangerous or deadly a trip as the Doctor had done in the past, yet Clara had blown up more at her for it than she ever had for the Doctor.

And it had to mean she'd made a VERY big oversight, a very big mistake, and she needed to know WHAT it was though.

Clara had come to them, a few weeks later for her, but a few hours later for them as they kept setting the TARDIS down every Wednesday and waiting an hour for her to come to them till she finally had, calmer but refused to get into the TARDIS. She started talking before they could get a word in, had told them that she was done with the travelling, that she didn't want to do it anymore. She'd turned to walk away, and she had desperately called out to Clara, asking her if she would agree to just ONE more, as a goodbye trip. It was a desperate reach and one she had no plan to let get to a REAL goodbye, but she just needed time, she needed Clara to talk to her and she had one trip to do it.

Which would have been made easier if Clara hadn't given a curt nod of agreement and actually TALKED to her.

Which was not happening.

Because Clara had decided that the resident other Time Lady was deserving of the silent treatment at the moment, she wasn't speaking to Evy nor was she listening to her.

Evy had been tempted to call her out for her childish behavior, explain her toddler of a son was more mature than that, but she knew that wouldn't go over well in getting Clara to stay around long enough to mend things between them. Not that she knew how she could do that with Clara blatantly ignoring her. The Doctor had tried to get Clara to talk, had tried to take Evy's side and tell the girl that behavior like that against his Link would not be tolerated, but Evy stopped him before he could, silently telling him not to say a word. This trip was too important to risk setting Clara off and have her storming out.

He hadn't been happy with that, he didn't like anyone, no matter who, treating his Link like that, but she'd reminded him they were BOTH doing this for their son, so HE wouldn't be in trouble or feel that cross about his own Link either. The LAST thing they needed was for their son to get even more upset with them and cut them out of his life because they'd caused Clara strife.

They had taken LJ to see Martha, as promised, Clara saying goodbye to the child with a sad smile. She had softened around LJ, treated him just as normal, unlike his parents. But they knew it couldn't be helped, LJ was adorable, tiny Time Lords were just too cute to resist and Clara had always had a soft spot for the boy. So while she treated him well enough…they'd left him with Martha for the moment, not wanting him to be exposed to Clara acting like she was around them in the middle of the adventure. They didn't want him to have to see Clara being less than kind to them or, if tensions were high enough, risk her being short with him either.

They were also hoping they could change her mind about leaving and they didn't want her to REALLY say goodbye to their son till they'd exhausted every possible way to try and convince her to stay. It would break the boys little hearts for her to leave like this and they didn't want the goodbye she'd given him to be the final one if they could help it. LJ didn't seem any the wiser about their true intentions though, he was thrilled to be around his aunt again, and, given the outfits they were wearing…well, that the Doctor and Clara were wearing as Evy couldn't seem to muster the drive to change into a period outfit at the moment…he was rather relieved to not go. Clara was dressed in a greenish gold dress of a Flapper style, her hair short and bobbed, while the Doctor was wearing a formal suit…and LJ knew what that meant when even his father was formal. It meant the tiny tux for him, it meant the bow-tie…and bow-ties were evil in his book.

And that was how they came to be stepping out of a baggage carriage in a train, the TARDIS behind them, without their son, but with Clara.

"Ah, here we are," the Doctor nodded, looking around.

Clara was unimpressed, "Wonderful."

"It is," Evy spoke, even if Clara was going to pretend she couldn't hear her, that wasn't going to stop her talking, "Through there, at least," she nodded at a door, leading the way through it and into one of the Lounge Carriages, "Welcome, to the Orient Express."

"Well, one of them," the Doctor looked around at the comfortable armchairs that were lining the walls, the small bar at the end, with armed guards standing at the doors. There was even a small jazz band off to the side, a live singer going through a slow version of a Queen song, "There were many trains to take the name Orient Express, but only one in space."

"Of course it is," Clara sighed, trying not to sound impressed when…it sort of was, actually, rather impressive to see the universe just outside the windows as a TRAIN made its way through space.

"Completely faithful recreation of the original Orient Express," the Doctor smiled.

"Not quite," Evy shook her head, glancing around, "Bigger, on a space track made of hyperpace ribbons…"

"But in every other respect, identical," he remarked, "Painstaking attention to detail…" he grimaced as a rather large man with a bald head but bushy red beard walked by in a steampunk attire and eyepatch.

"You were saying?" Evy seemed amused.

"Most of the time," he amended, stepping to the side to let the man past. He sighed and looked over at Clara, eyeing her as she smiled gently, observing it all, "You're doing it again."

"Doing what?" Clara glanced over, purposely looking just at the Doctor.

"The smile."

"Yeah, I'm smiling."

"It's the sad smile. It's a smile but you're sad. It's confusing. It's like two emotions at once. It's like you're malfunctioning."

"It's the same smile you get when you talk about Gallifrey," Evy countered, "The same smile I get. It's sad to think on, but it made you happy when it happened. She's just thinking about the future, she's happy now but knows she'll be sad later when it's over…"

"Don't tell me what I'm feeling or why I'm smiling," Clara gave Evy a look for that, "You don't know what I am or aren't feeling."

"You're right," Evy nodded, "I don't, because you won't TALK to me and tell me."

"You wouldn't understand even if I did!"

"Try me," Evy gave her a firm look.

But Clara let out a breath through her nose and shook her head, turning away, "Yes, I'm happy because this is a good trip to end on, and yes I'm sad because it's ending. Endings are always sad. Happy?" she looked at Evy.

"No."

"What do you want from me?" Clara huffed.

"I want you to talk to me about the Moon and what happened on it."

"Well…tough," Clara looked away again, crossing her arms.

"Ok," the Doctor cut in, not entirely sure what to do about this, he wanted to jump to Evy's defense, he always did, but she'd asked him before this to let her handle it. He…didn't want to mention that that probably may not maybe be a good thing to do given how she'd handled the moon and how that had gone, but she'd given him such a glare when that thought had slipped through that he backed off. If she thought she could handle this, then he'd let her, but he would be there if she needed help, always, "Here we go," he reached out and picked up three flutes of champagne off a passing waiter's tray, handing them to Evy and Clara, perhaps some alcohol would ease the tempers and loosen the tongues a bit? That was how the humans did it right?

But both women seemed to guess his thoughts and both of them tossed the contents over their shoulders, making him roll his eyes.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice spoke over the speakers, "If you would be good enough to look from the windows on the right of the train, you'll be able to see the Soaring Majesty of the Magellan Black Hole."

The Time Lords glanced at each other for that before turning to look out the windows as instructed, "Oh," the Doctor murmured at the sight, "I remember when this was all planets as far as the eye could see. All gone now. Gobbled up by that beast…"

"Best watch yourself, Clara, you're smiling again," Evy remarked.

Clara was silent at that a long while before she admitted, "I really thought I hated you, Evy, you know?"

"There was this planet, Obsidian!" the Doctor continued, speaking a little louder, NOT liking the direction this was going at all, "The planet of perpetual darkness…"

But Clara wouldn't be deterred, "I _did_. I did hate you. In fact, I hated you for _weeks_."

"There was also a planet that was made completely of shrubs…" he tried again.

"Doctor," Evy shook her head, telling him to let Clara talk, let her get whatever it was off her chest. Because that was exactly what she wanted, she wanted Clara to TALK to her, to explain what happened.

"I went to a concert once. Can't remember who it was. But do you know what the singer said?" the Time Lords were silent as they looked at her, "She said, 'hatred is too strong an emotion to waste on someone that you don't like.'"

The Doctor shifted like he really wanted to say something but held his tongue to let Clara continue.

"What I'm trying to say is, I don't hate you," Clara looked at Evy, "I could never _hate_ you. But I can't do this anymore. Not the way you do it. I don't…I don't want the way you do it to become the way I do it."

"And that was the entire point of the moon," Evy tried, "Clara..."

"Please don't," Clara shook her head, "I don't want to talk about the moon. I just…I just want to forget it ever happened and no," she looked at the Doctor, "I don't mean forget-forget like with a Memory Worm," and back to Evy, "I just…right now, I just want to get through this trip on a good note. Can we do that?"

"On one condition," Evy told her.

Clara sighed, "What?"

"When the trip is over…you give me 5 minutes, just 5 minutes, to talk about the moon before you walk out of the TARDIS forever," Evy looked at her, "Just 5. Can YOU do that?"

Clara looked at the window, swallowing hard, she really did NOT want to talk about the moon, but if Evy would stop bringing it up till this was over…she supposed she…she DID owe the woman at least to hear her out. She didn't think she could handle hearing what she had to say just yet, but maybe…when it was over, if that was how Evy wanted to say goodbye…then she supposed she could do it. And, maybe, it would make it easier to stay away from the Time Lords and the travelling if she let Evy get her riled up about the moon again.

She doubted there was anything Evy could say that would make what she did on the moon ok.

And maybe that was what she needed, for Evy to try and fail and prove to her that she was better off staying on Earth, with the Captain.

She winced at that thought, she needed to speak to him when this was over too, she'd been…refusing his calls and flowers and stop overs, and it wasn't fair to him to push him away because of her tiff with his parents. And he HAD said he'd be happy doing anything so long as it made her happy…maybe he'd even give up the travels for her…

"Ok," she nodded, "But not another word about the moon till then, and we have a deal."

Evy reached out and shook Clara's hand, not entirely happy about that. She would rather get it over with now, talk to Clara about it and resolve it before the end of the trip, but Clara would just keep pushing and ignoring her if she did…so she could do it, she could wait to the end to talk to her. She was the patient one between her and her boys after all.

"Planets now?" the Doctor nodded at the window, not sure if the women were resolved yet or not.

"Planets," Evy gave him a small smile, making him grin.

"Thedion Four!" he cheered, turning back to the window, "Constant acid rain. Ooh," he looked at Evy, "Do you remember that lovely picnic we had there once?"

"Gasmask and all," Evy chuckled.

"That's a lie," a woman said behind them, making them turn and eye her…she didn't seem quite…with it, her eyes a bit distant as she looked at them, her blonde hair in just a bit of disarray.

"I'm sorry?" Clara blinked.

"That's a lie, what you said," the woman looked between the two elder Time Lords, "Thedion Four was destroyed thousands of years ago, so you couldn't have been there."

"Miss Pitt," one of the guards came over to her, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather rest in your room?"

"Those two are liars," the woman pointed at them vaguely.

The man nodded gently, though he didn't seem to put any weight on her words, "Perhaps you'd allow Mr. Carlyle here to escort you back?" he gestured another guard over.

"It'll be all right, miss," the man smiled, turning to lead her off, "Just come with me…"

"Sorry about that," the guard sighed, turning to them more and revealing his badges, the captain of the guard, "I suppose it's understandable in the circumstances. I don't believe we've been introduced. Captain Quell."

"I'm Clara," she introduced, "This is the Doctor and Ev…Evelyn Daniels," Clara gave a small smirk to Evy, who rolled her eyes.

"Please, just call me Evy," she added, shooting Clara a mock-warning look though she was a little relieved Clara seemed to be lightening up on her.

"Oh," Quell nodded, "Another one?" he eyed the Doctor.

"Another what?" Evy frowned.

"Well, we've got doctors and professors coming out of our ears on this trip!" Quell chuckled, "So, what are you a doctor of?"

"Now, there's a question that's never asked often enough," the Doctor grinned, "Let's say…intestinal parasites."

"That's a new one," Evy muttered, amused.

"I'm beginning to think Miss Pitt was right about you," Quell eyed him.

"What's wrong with her?" Clara asked hesitantly, it didn't take a Time Lord to know something had truly upset the woman, "Did something happen?"

"You mean you really don't know?" Quell frowned at them, before glancing around and leaning in to regale them with the tale of how poor Miss Pitt's mother suddenly kicked the bucket…

~8~

"There's a body _and_ there's a mummy?" Clara huffed as the three of them made their way into the corridor outside the lounge car to talk in more privacy, "I mean, can you not just get on a train? Did a wizard put a curse on you about mini-breaks?"

"It's the suit, Clara," Evy eyed it, "Black tie and the Doctor don't mix."

The Doctor scoffed, "YOU said it was just me," he reminded her of that moment so long ago.

"It's probably both. Though that suit did look rather nice on you."

"And this one doesn't?"

"It's growing on me," she reached out to touch his rather floppy bow-tie, "This could use some work though."

"At least I dressed the part," he pointed back, reaching out to trace her vest, "Why don't you anymore? You used to, you were gorgeous…"

Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses, "Are you saying I'm NOT gorgeous now?"

"You would look gorgeous in a potato sack," he said without hesitation, "Though, now that I think about it, probably best to keep the current outfit," he eyed her, "You'd be too gorgeous for me to focus in a dress…"

She smiled lightly at that, "Thank you, though that bow-tie really is distracting from your dashing nature," she reached out, about to try and tug the tie off when Clara spoke.

"Really? There's some sort of mummy killing people and you're gonna talk about your clothes?" Clara shook her head, shifting at that, it was starting to feel too much like the Blitzer again, like the Moon, how they just…didn't seem to really care…

"It might be nothing," the Doctor shrugged, knowing that this was meant to be a calm trip, a final, good, calm trip for Clara. Whatever had happened on the moon to set her off…they didn't want it to happen again, so the calmest trip ever was what they were aiming for. A mummy attacking people was the opposite of calm, "Old ladies die all the time. It's practically their job description."

"And the monster?" Clara lifted an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"Could be a hallucination," Evy remarked, "If only the old woman saw it. The mind can create all sorts of images just before death…"

"Anyway, people _do_ just die sometimes," the Doctor added, seeing Clara about to argue, for someone who seemed to want to not have adventures ever again after this, she seemed rather keen to MAKE it into an adventure, "She was over a hundred years old."

"Says the 2,000 year old man," Clara scoffed.

"Clara…" Evy began hesitantly, picking up on the same thing the Doctor had, "Do you actually WANT this to be something?"

"No," Clara answered a bit too quickly, trying to slow her words down after she realized it, "No, look, fine. You know, if…if you think that there is nothing to worry about, then that is fine by me."

"Are you sure?" the Doctor frowned.

"Ah, yes, I'm sure."

The Doctor and Evy exchanged a look at that, not believing it at all, but kept quiet, "Well then," the Doctor looked at her, "To our last hurrah then," he held up the champagne glass he'd kept with him.

"Our last, yeah," Clara nodded, holding up her empty glass, now wishing she hadn't actually tipped it over, "I mean, it's not like I'm never going to see you again."

"Isn't it?" Evy gave her a look.

Clara frowned at that, "Is it?" but they were silent, "I mean, you're…you're going to come round for dinner or something, aren't you? You…you said, the Ponds and…and the Captain will want to see you and…and you have all those other companions you told me about that you…"

"If you want us to pop in, Clara, we will," Evy told her, "But it might be harder, for YOU, to handle seeing us the way the others do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're a Time Lady now, Clara," the Doctor said, not seeming to sense how Clara tensed at that reminder, "The others are all human, surrounded by humans, going about their human lives on a planet made of humans once we leave, nothing changes for them. It won't be easy for you to stay there, around the humans when you're a Time Lady, and each time we pop in, it'll just remind you of that."

Clara swallowed hard at that, shaking her head, "I'm…going to get some champagne," she murmured, turning to hurry back into the lounge, not having wanted to be confronted or reminded of that just yet.

Evy sighed, watching her go, "Thank you," she murmured, looking at him, "For saying what I couldn't."

"Yes, well," he shrugged, "You promised not to bring up the moon or the reason for being there till the end. I didn't."

She smiled a bit at his effort, she appreciated it, she did…but he may have just made it all the more complicated.

Because that hadn't quite been why she'd taken Clara to the moon as it was hatching.

~8~

Evy sat on the small bed that the Orient Express had provided for her and the Doctor, her arms crossed, her legs spread out before her, crossed at the ankles, watching the Doctor pace back and forth before her, seeming to be trying to ask her opinion on something though she hadn't gotten a word in as he would answer himself quite quickly after asking. She was timing it actually, it was going on 5 minutes 20 now and she was curious how much longer he could go.

"It's nothing," he nodded, trying to sound firm, "Nothing. Definitely. Sure. 99 percent sure. Really?" he scoffed at himself, "99 percent? That's quite high. Is that the figure you're sticking with? Ok," he nodded, conceding to himself, "Ok, 75. Well, that's jumped quite a bit. You've just lost 24 percent. Because you know what this sounds like, don't you? No," this time he held up a finger to her, "Do tell me. A mummy that only the victim can see? I was being rhetorical. I know _exactly_ what this sounds like…"

"Ooh are we leaving now?" Evy blinked as he suddenly turned for the door, "And here I thought we were going to sleep."

"With a hallucinogenic mummy on the loose?" he turned to her, "We'd be better off investigating that than sitting here doing nothing."

"Well I was going to suggest recreational mathematics," Evy shrugged, "Or sleeping. Or not-sleeping…"

"Not-sleeping?"

"Would 'distracting you' be a better term?" she gave him a teasing smile and suggestive look.

He blinked at that, "Oh," he started to smile, moving back to the bed and sitting down beside her, "I…think we ought to hold that off till we get back to the TARDIS."

"And why's that?" she leaned in, already knowing the answer.

"Clara's room is on the other side of that wall," he tried to nod to the wall behind her, but ended up resting his forehead to hers, "We probably shouldn't scar our son's Link anymore than we apparently already have."

"Hmmm," she hummed, "Well then, I shall expect full compensation for the masterful plan I was going to put into motion to thoroughly distract you."

He let out a little laugh at that, "Oh, were YOU going to prove your physical feats this time, dear?"

"Oh yes," she nodded against his head, "As much as I love our son, we hardly have time alone, in a room with a bed, to enjoy it. I planned to see just how long I could distract you from the possible invisible mummy for."

"I'll make it up to you," he crossed his hearts at that, "But for now…"

"I know, your mummy," she reached out and took his hand as she leaned in to kiss him, her lips just barely brushing his before he was falling forward and being yanked to the side at the same time as she stood and pulled him for the door mid-distraction, making him laugh.

His chuckles quieted though when they reached the small corridor just outside their room, glancing at the door that led to Clara's room and back to each other.

' _She said she didn't want this to be anything,_ ' the Doctor remarked.

And…if it had a little to do with his dislike of how Clara had treated Evy and yelled at her that he would rather the woman sleep for the moment, he said nothing.

Evy sighed, ' _You're right,_ ' she nodded, ' _I just want to get through this trip and talk to her._ '

So the two Time Lords turned and headed down the hall, disappearing through a door at the end just as Clara's door opened and the girl stepped out, hurrying over to their door and knocking on it softly, waiting for them to open up.

~8~

The Doctor led the way through the train, his sonic out, scanning for anything out of the ordinary and it had led them right to the engineer's carriage, a room full of computer screens and blueprints, tools and scrap everywhere. The sonic increased in pitch when it came past a small chair that looked like it had a pot of something bubbling under it, the readings on the side of the chair showing that whatever it was that was bubbling was creating an enormous amount of power. Evy frowned and crouched down by it, tying her hair back to keep it away from the goop to scan with her sonic…when a voice behind them startled them.

"Beautiful bit of kit, isn't it?" a man in an engineer's uniform and cap smiled at them, coming over, "The Excelsior Life Extender. It's like driving around in a portable hospital."

"Yes," the Doctor's eyes dropped to a piece of heavy-looking metal in the man's hands, moving closer to Evy to protect her if the man tried to attack, "Well, it didn't do Mrs. Pitt much good, did it?"

But the engineer just laughed, "Got me there, sir," he nodded, setting the metal down, "Certainly got me there. Maybe it malfunctioned."

"No," Evy shook her head, "It seems to be operating just fine."

"Except the battery was almost drained," the man pointed out.

The Doctor eyed him, glancing at Evy who nodded, and he asked, "What do you know?"

He shrugged, "Well, I know that when I find a woman, lovely as she might be," he winked at Evy which made the Doctor's eyes narrow, "Fiddling with a chair that someone died in, it's best to play my cards close to my chest."

"Really?" the Doctor scoffed, "Well, I know that when I find a man loitering near a chair that someone died in, I do just the same."

"He's the engineer, Doctor," Evy pointed out, gesturing at the man's uniform.

The man nodded, "That's right, Miss…"

"Evy," she answered.

"Miss Evy," he smiled even as she let out a huff, the Doctor smirking at how irritable she got at that, "Perkins, at your service. Chief Engineer."

"The Doctor," he introduced, "Nosey Parker."

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor," Perkins reached out to shake his hand, about to do the same to Evy when the Doctor shook his hand again, intercepting, making Evy shake her head in amusement, "Course…there's a rumor that someone or some _thing_ else might be responsible."

Evy nodded, eyeing Perkins for that, "Do tell."

~8~

"Over there," Evy murmured as she pointed to a man that she recognized from a passenger index Perkins had shown them, a professor Moorhouse, who was the foremost expert on 'the Foretold' which appeared to be what most scholars called the mummy that the train was transporting. He was well dressed, with a rather thin mustache…not quite as laughably thin as Max Capricorn's, but still rather bad. He was reading a book, minding his own business…which had to mean the Doctor would interrupt him without a second thought…and indeed he did, leading Evy right over to sit before the man on the other side of the small table he'd occupied.

Well, the Doctor sat, Evy remained standing behind him though she rested her hands on his shoulders in a light squeeze.

"What's the most interesting thing about the Foretold?" the Doctor didn't even give the man a chance to speak.

"I'm terribly sorry," Moorhouse blinked, "I don't believe we've met."

"Forgive him," Evy spoke as the Doctor opened his mouth to be rude again, "He's the Doctor."

"And you are?" Moorhouse smiled up at her.

"Evelyn Daniels," she introduced, "Please, call me Evy."

"Pleasure to meet you Miss Daniels," he gave her a nod and looked at the Doctor, who winced at the sudden grip Evy gave his shoulders, "Doctor."

She was starting to think she should just introduce herself as EVY and just that, like the Doctor. That way there would be less of this 'miss Daniels' nonsense.

"Yes, yes, hello, now the Foretold," the Doctor continued, "Mythical mummy. Legend has it that if you see it, you're a dead man."

"Yes, I know what it is," Moorhouse chuckled, "You see, I happen to be…"

"Emil Moorhouse, professor of alien mythology," Evy cut in, "Sorry, we know who you are."

"So, the most interesting thing about the Foretold?" the Doctor repeated, snapping his fingers, "Go."

Moorhouse seemed a bit confused and glanced at Evy, who could only shrug, before he sighed, just going with it, "Er, well, it would have to be the time limit given before it kills you. I can't think of another myth where it's so specific. How does it go? Er, 'The number of evil twice over. They that bear the Foretold's stare have sixty six seconds to live.'"

The Doctor shook his head at that, not impressed at all, "No, no, no. Nice try. Very atmospheric. But that's not it. Try again."

"A cynical man might say that you were trying to pump me for information," he remarked suspiciously.

"There isn't much we haven't already gleamed about the Foretold," Evy countered, "The myth began over 5,000 years ago. Sometimes they say there's a way to stop him killing you, a riddle or a code word. Usually people try to guess but then give up and try to bribe it with riches and confessions…which doesn't really make sense as what would a dead mummy need with riches or care about confessions…"

"Brilliant," the Doctor smiled up at her, pulling a small cigarette case from his pocket to offer her…a jelly baby that was hidden inside. She shook her head at him fondly but took one, popping it into her mouth.

"Well, you certainly know a little mythology…" Moorhouse murmured.

"More than a little," Evy shook her head, "And for me to say it and not mean it as arrogantly as HE would," she squeezed the Doctor's shoulders, "Means we really DO know a lot."

"We now a lot about MANY different mythologies," the Doctor added, proving his arrogance, "Because, from time to time, it turns out to be true and we like to be prepared."

And LJ loved his stories, especially the 'ghost stories' they were 'cool' according to him. Oh their son would probably resume his biting if he found out about the invisible mummy that might be on the loose and realizing he'd missed it.

"But that's the great appeal, isn't it?" Moorhouse laughed, "Earth legends are such dry, dusty affairs, and always fiction. But up here," he tapped the table, "In the stars, anything's possible. That's why I chose this field, to be honest. Hoping one day I might meet a real monster."

The Doctor's grin grew more grim, "Isn't that everyone's dream?"

"You still didn't answer his riddle," Evy reminded him, squeezing the Doctor's shoulders in comfort, knowing that, from time to time, he saw himself as a monster for the things he'd done in the past, the people he couldn't save, the ones he'd hurt and let down and tricked, but that was why she was there, to help remind him he was also a father and Link and a good man, "What is the absolute most interesting thing about the Foretold?"

"Well," Moorhouse frowned, thinking, really considering it, "You can't run from it, that's for sure. There are accounts of people trying, but it never works. No matter how far you run, it's always right there behind you."

"Nope," the Doctor sighed, sounding like he was getting frustrated, "Even colder."

"Alright, I give up, you tell me."

"Mrs. Pitt, the old woman who died."

"She died of old age," Moorhouse brushed it off, "Nothing supernatural."

"That was the answer," Evy shook her head.

"Her death?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "The fact that you were here to witness it."

THAT had been what they'd noticed when Perkins was going through the index of passengers, all their professions were listed there, all of them, in some way, related to the Foretold. On top of that…there was an odd discrepancy with the passengers as well. The amount listed on the index was far less than how many people they'd just SEEN wandering about the train.

They glanced over, hearing a small commotion going on behind them, passengers shouting and the guards hurrying about, "Excuse us, Professor," the Doctor stood, taking Evy's hand as the two rushed over, only catching the end of Quell inquiring about some event happening in a particular carriage…another death, this time in the kitchens, one of the chefs.

"Captain Quell," Evy called as they reached the man.

"I think we need to talk," the Doctor remarked.

"This matter does not concern the passengers," Quell straightened, trying to walk away.

But the Doctor reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him around, "We're not passengers. We're your worst nightmares," he held up the psychic paper for the man to see.

Quell's eyes widened in horror as he gaped at them, "Mystery shoppers…oh, great!"

Evy gave him a look, "Seriously? Mystery shoppers?" she took the psychic paper from the Doctor to double check, "Well…how about that…"

"Right," the Doctor nodded, "Then, I suppose we should start with the fact that we could do with extra pillows and that we're very disappointed with your breakfast bar and all of the dying."

Quell looked around, "Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private," he muttered, gesturing with a crook of a finger for them to follow him down the hall, nearer to the front of the train where he let them into his office. He let out a long sigh and moved to a small cabinet in the back of the room, pulling three glasses out and filling them with drinks, knowing they would likely all need a one after this was said and done, "This is not exactly within your job description…" he muttered, handing them the drinks.

"Come on, Captain," the Doctor remarked, "Where would we all be if we all followed our job descriptions, hmm?" he took a sip of the beverage as Evy just smiled and, instead of tossing the liquid over her shoulder as before, subtly tipped it into a small potted plant beside her, "Good question. Glad you asked," he smacked his lips slightly, setting the drink down, "In your case, you'd be doing something instead of climbing inside a bottle."

"I have followed the procedure for accidental death to the letter!" Quell defended.

"Yes, to the letter," Evy agreed, "But you aren't doing anything MORE than that. You're doing whatever your policy states you have to to not get written up."

"You don't know anything about me."

The Doctor just pointed at some of the badges on the man's uniform, "Wounded in battle, honorable discharge. And this is just a guess, but I think you've had the fight knocked out of you. You expected this to be a cushy desk job where you could put your head down until retirement. Well, I'm sorry. As of today, that dream is over."

"There is no evidence of any attack or other parties," Quell tried to argue.

"And what do you plan to do?" Evy shook her head, "Sit there and wait for physical evidence? You've already got it. You have had two deaths so far. It doesn't get much more physical than that."

"Yes, novel notion, you know, actually trying to DO something to stop it," the Doctor eyed the man, but Quell just glared at them, so he scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Why are we even talking to him?" he muttered to Evy, standing and turning to leave the compartment with her, the two of them nearly running into Perkins as he waited just outside with a rolled up papers in his hands.

"Er, passenger manifest, plan of the train, and a list of stops for the past six months," Perkins wiggled the papers.

"Quick work, Perkins," the Doctor nodded as Evy took the papers to examine, though he eyed the man a moment, "Maybe _too_ quick."

"Yes, sir," Perkins, though, didn't seem offended in the least, "I'm _obviously_ the mummy," he chuckled, "Or perhaps I was already looking into this."

"Smart man," Evy murmured, pressing the papers into the Doctor's chest, rolled up once more, "I hope our son grows up to be a bit like you Perkins, would ease my worries a bit if he was at least a little more cautious than this one," she nodded at the Doctor.

"You love my recklessness and you know it," the Doctor countered, examining the papers.

Evy could only nod at that, she really did.

~8~

In another carriage of the train, more of a storage room, Clara and Miss Pitt, or Maisie as she requested Clara to call her, were stuck, Maisie sitting on a small crate, with one shoe on…her other one jammed in a high-tech doorlock that Clara had tried in vain to poke and prod around to get the lock to open and let them out. She'd found the woman wandering down the halls and gone after her, concerned, to find her trying to break into a storage car where her 'gran' was being kept. She'd gotten frustrated by the lock not opening and, much to Clara's shock, bashed it in with her shoe and only succeeded in shorting it out. And, as much as she had tried not thinking like a Time Lady the last few times, she'd found that actually TRYING to this time hadn't helped either. She knew one of her other selves had been good with locks and technology and things, but it was like she was subconsciously suppressing them. She couldn't focus on a single one for help and now they were stuck, the two of them sitting against the wall.

"That Doctor bloke," Maisie asked after a moment, "He's your what, exactly?"

"Father-in-law," she answered automatically, before wincing, "I mean…if…if things ever end up ok between me and his son again," she sighed, "I sort of…freaked out a bit, shut him out. I hurt him," she swallowed, "And I don't know that he'll ever forgive me for that. But his parents, his mother, hurt me first," she tried to defend.

"Did she not like you?" Maisie frowned, "Not think you were good enough? I know how much that can hurt…"

"No, at least, I don't think it was like that," Clara let out a huff of air, "She did something and it just…hurt…and now…now I'm not even sure if they still think of me as a friend or if I think of them as friends or…"

"You're friends," Maisie nodded, "I can tell. You're all here together after all."

"We…traveled together, a few times. And now we're not going to anymore," Clara tried to say simply, "This is sort of a…a goodbye to the good times."

"Were the good times all like this?" Maisie tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. Now that you mention it."

"If you don't mind my asking…what did she do? Your beau's mother? What did she do that was so bad that you won't ever travel with them again?"

Clara hesitated, not sure if she should say anything, not sure if she wanted to talk about it…but…maybe it would be good to? There was…there really wasn't anyone at all that she could talk to and get an unbiased opinion of it. Well, Maisie might be a bit biased as a human but…really, wouldn't that be better?

If she tried to talk to the Captain, a Time Lord, he was biased for his parents, for his species. If she talked to Danny, a human, he was biased against the Time Lords and for the humans. The Doctor and Evy were out as the ones that had caused the whole mess, or at least Evy had but the Doctor had gone along with it, and…maybe she needed this. Maybe she needed just one person that she could explain it to that wasn't quite against aliens or humans and just…a fresh point of view.

So, with that in mind, Clara nodded to herself and began to explain to Maisie the entire fiasco that was the Moon hatching in the year 2049.

~8~

Back in the Engineer's Carriage would find the Doctor and Evy studiously watching footage Perkins had scraped up of the actual death of Mrs. Pitt while she was at dinner with Maisie. The woman was truly very old, sitting there, screaming and shouting about something coming after her. The Doctor looked at his watch, timing the recording from the moment she tensed and began to see something the others in the compartment couldn't see to the moment she ceased moving.

"66 seconds," the Doctor confirmed, "It fits the myth. Did you see the lights flicker?" he glanced at Evy.

She nodded, "Perkins did that happen in the kitchen?"

"Yeah," he remarked, "The lights went just before the chef saw it."

"I doubt his knives or other utensils were able to help," Evy murmured, "From what I read in the stories and Moorhouse's papers, weapons don't work on the Foretold either. It's as immortal, unstoppable, and unkillable as you are dear," she smirked at the Doctor.

The Doctor just grinned at that, this would make…quite the interesting adventure, if only Clara had wanted something to do with it.

~8~

Maisie frowned as Clara finished her story and looked to her for her opinion, "Oh, she was wrong."

"Yes!" Clara nodded, relieved that _she_ wasn't the one in the wrong, "Yes. Yes, she was."

"And rather thoughtless and careless and completely inconsiderate of your feelings."

"Exactly."

"And you got on a train with them both."

Clara blinked at that and frowned, "I'm saying goodbye. You can't end it on a slammed door."

"Yes, you can," Maisie countered, "Anyone can do it. People do it all the time. Except, of course, when they can't," she sighed, "Clara…I think a part of you knows that you're missing something."

"What am I missing?" she shook her head, "I just told you everything that happened!"

"Everything you THINK happened," Maisie corrected, "You said yourself in the middle there that the Evy girl kept trying to tell you something but you ran out. And you weren't going to talk to her about it ever again. I think that's why you agreed to the trip, really, because a part of you knows that you're owed an explanation and that she _was_ trying to give you one, but you were upset. Which was completely reasonable and understandable. But…don't you think you should find out what SHE was trying to do before you assume that what you think she was trying to do wasn't really what she was trying to do?"

Clara stared at her a moment, completely lost by the second half of what she'd said, but understanding enough of it to get the gist of it, "Yeah," she let out a breath, "I know, I…I barely let her talk and when I did it was just so I could shout at her more. It's just…what she did, whether she intended it to be one thing or not, it hurt me. And I couldn't handle HER hurting me. I sort of expect the Doctor to not be the most socially adept person, but Evy…" she shook her head, "She was always kinder, more understanding, more…human…"

And to see Evy acting so differently than she had when she first met the woman…what else was she supposed to think than that Evy had just become more Time Lady? She knew that regeneration meant change, but…she acted SO MUCH like the Doctor it was alarming to wonder if that was just how Time Lords naturally were. She had this…niggle in her head that told her the Time Lords on Gallifrey were actually worse and it scared her. Because if Evy could go from the woman she was to the woman she is…what did that mean for HER when regeneration came?

What did it mean for her right now?

Even Danny could tell she was changing, becoming something less human and more alien…and what Evy had done on the moon, what she THOUGHT Evy had done, the reason she'd done it…

She didn't want to think what her choice on the moon meant, so she'd pushed off having Evy confirm it.

But from what Maisie said, she was making it sound like Evy wouldn't have confirmed her thoughts on it at all, but that the Time Lady had done it for a different reason.

She didn't know what that other reason might be…and she was terrified that it might be even worse than what she thought right now.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy both wore matching frowns as they stood at a workbench in the engineering car, sifting through various papers that Perkins had provided them, when a beeping sounded and the blinds over the window began to raise automatically which meant that it was officially 'day' time for the train and that the morning wake up calls would be starting for all passengers. And that meant it was now a socially acceptable time to call Clara up and wake her for the day.

Evy moved over to the wall, to an intercom on it and soniced it, blinking when it literally fell off the wall before shaking her head and continuing on her efforts, bringing it to her mouth to call Clara as she walked back to the Doctor, "Clara?"

"Evy?" Clara's voice called back.

"Wake up sleepy-head!" the Doctor called, making Perkins jump awake as well from where he'd been slumping in sleep on a chair, "Time for breakfast. Knowing this train, it'll taste amazing."

"Doctor? Look, please, I'm in trouble…"

"What?" Evy frowned, "Clara what happened?"

"I'm trapped…"

"Where?!"

"The baggage car…"

The two Time Lords quickly ran out of the engineering car and down the hall, throw two more carts to the very last one, frowning when the door wouldn't budge, "Clara?" Evy called as the Doctor hammered on it, "Are you in there?!"

"Yes!" Clara's voice called through the door, "Yes. Hello. Can you hear us?"

The Doctor flicked his sonic at the door, only to snap his hand away as it shocked him, "Ow!"

"Computer," Evy looked at the locking on the wall, "Please open the door."

"Call me Gus," came a computerized voice, "I'm afraid this door can only be opened by executive order."

"Don't you think I tried that?" Clara asked, "It's not like I have a sonic to get us out of here either!"

"Oh, forget it," the Doctor muttered, starting to scan the door instead of the lock…only for it to sputter out on him, "Now the stupid sonic…"

"What?" Clara called.

"The sonic's not working," Evy spoke into the comm. she was still holding, hoping Clara would be able to hear them easier through it.

There was a moment of static before Clara's voice rang out clearer through the comm. as well, "What? What do you mean, it's not working? Why?"

"I don't know," the Doctor huffed, holding the sonic up for Evy to scan with her own.

"There's a suppression field on the door," she blinked at that, "Why?"

"Better question," the Doctor took the comm. from her, "Clara what are you even doing in there?"

"Well, I was looking for you Mr. and Mrs. Nothing To Worry About," Clara muttered.

"You were the one that didn't want this to be a thing, Clara," Evy commented, "You don't want to travel with us, you don't need to be involved in the actual mystery parts then. You wanted a calm trip, we tried to give you one."

"Look, look, please," Clara huffed, "Can we just not do this now? I think we might not be alone in here," her voice dropped, "There's a sarcophagus…"

"It's in there?" Evy glanced at the door with a frown.

"Is the mummy in it?" the Doctor looked at Evy.

"I think we might just be about to find out," Clara warned, "Turns out the sonic was working. Just not on the door we need…"

Their attention shot up as the lights flickered.

"Clara, it's coming," the Doctor called, Evy turning to try and use her sonic on the lock.

But Clara's voice stopped her, "Evy? Doctor? It's…it's ok. It's er…it's full of bubble wrap."

"Bubble wrap?" Evy shook her head, of all the things…

"But the lights?" the Doctor seemed equally confused.

"Oi, you two!" Quell's voice shouted behind them, the man rushing towards them with two more guards, one of the two pointing a gun at them, "Move away from the door!"

"Our daughter-in-law is inside," Evy shook her head, "We are NOT leaving her."

And if Clara scoffed and muttered 'that's a change' into the comm., Evy ignored it.

"Then they're in trouble, too," Quell stated, "I spoke to Head Office. There are _no_ mystery shoppers. You're not even on the passenger list!"

The Doctor let out a huff, "Clara, we're going to have to call you back," he warned her, dropping the comm..

"Come on," Quell gestured the guards forward, the two quickly handcuffing both the Doctor and Evy with their arms behind their backs and started to lead them down the hall.

"You know, we're going to have to mark you down for this," the Doctor continued with the ruse.

"You are _not_ a mystery shopper!" Quell shouted, "For all I know, you're the ones behind the killings!"

"Hardly," Evy rolled her eyes, "Really, how many bodies are going to pile up before you actually try to DO something about it!?"

They had just reached the lounge area that would lead through to where the holding carriage was for unruly passengers, when a gunshot went off and Quell, his guards, and the Time Lords ran towards it to see a guard firing his pistol at something only he could see, the other passengers ducking to avoid being hit.

"Get back!" the man was screaming, "Stay back!"

"What do you think you're doing, man?" Quell tried to step forwards, but the man paid no attention to him at all.

"Please, please! Stop!" he tripped backwards, falling to the ground, dropping his gun which Moorhouse quickly picked up, and lifting his hands to cover his face in fear, "No!"

Everyone watched in horror as the man moved to his knees, his head jerking as though someone were grabbing it and squeezing…before he fell back and didn't get up again.

One of the passengers in a white coat rushed forward and pressed a finger to the guard's neck, shaking his head solemnly when he felt no pulse. Moorhouse looked between the guard and Quell, before stepping over and handing him the man's gun.

"It turns out it's three," Quell breathed, handing the gun off to another guard and turning to the Time Lords, "The amount of bodies to pile up before I DO something about it."

He gave a nod to the guards who quickly released the handcuffs.

The Doctor paused only a moment to check Evy's wrists, pressing a quick kiss to both, before he looked at Quell, "Thank you."

And now…now it was time to get to work.

They had an invisible mummy to catch.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clara definitely seems to have the Time Lord stubbornness down pat lol :) But I think she also needed the human understanding to really realize she needed to hear Evy out and hear her side of the story. Even if Evy was completely wrong and Clara still has every right to be as upset as she was...she does owe Evy to at least hear her out after everything they've gone through together. And she will, the truth will come out, for both Clara and Evy very soon and they'll both learn things from it ;)
> 
> Next chapter...the Doctor's head isn't the only crowded and chaotic one around, the truth comes out, and the 'impossible' happens ;)


	16. Mummy on the Orient Express (Part 2)

"What do you think Perkins?" Evy called, glancing over at the engineer as he reached the carriage, the Doctor crouching by the guard and sonicing him, "Same as the others?" Perkins nodded.

"Right," the Doctor muttered, standing, "Off with him," he gestured at the fallen guard, stepping aside to allow two others to hurry forward and pick him up by the arms and feet to carry him away. He looked around at the crowd that had gathered and frowned, 'Do they seem familiar to you?' he glanced at Evy.

She looked around, observing the people in the car and her eyes widened, 'It's all the experts,' she realized, 'All of them, they're all here right now.'

The Doctor nodded, that's what he thought too, "Ladies and gentlemen," he called out as Evy moved beside him, "Could we have a moment of your time, please? There's a monster on this train that can only be seen by those about to die. If you _do_ see it, you will have exactly 66 seconds left in which to live. But that isn't even the strangest thing. Do you know what is?"

"All of you are experts in alien biology, mythology, and physics," Evy answered, knowing the Doctor could get a bit caught up in rousing a crowd and the time really was of the essence when they didn't know if the Foretold would start to pick them off one by one or how it selected its victims, "And you're all here for a reason. Someone brought all of you together on this very same trip."

"Someone who, we have no doubt, is listening to us right now," the Doctor glanced up and around, "So, are you going to step out from behind the curtain and give us our orders?"

Perkins frowned as the room fell silent, far too silent than just the passengers going quiet, all the mechanics had shut off as well, "The engines. They've stopped!"

A moment later there was a zapping noise as the carriage shimmered into a laboratory.

"And the facade drops away because what use are a bunch of scientists without a lab?" the Doctor nodded.

"You might as well reveal the passengers too," Evy called out, "We know there are people here that aren't on the index."

And, just as she said, the zapping noise sounded again, a handful of people disappearing in a blink too.

"Teleporter?" Perkins turned to the Time Lords, not sure if the people had been stowaways.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "Hard light holograms. They were never really here. Fake passengers to make up the numbers."

"Good morning, everyone," a voice spoke from one of the monitors, shifting from the trains logo to a monocle, the same voice that had been making announcements through the train since they arrived, "Around the room you will find a variety of scientific equipment. Your goal is to ascertain the Foretold's true nature, probe for weaknesses with a view to capture, after which we will reverse engineer its abilities. Isn't this exciting?"

Evy, however, frowned, "Capture?" she repeated, "If you want us to capture it, that means YOU can't. But then how did you even get it onboard?"

"There is an artifact, an ancient scroll. I have highlighted it for your convenience," a small light blinked on behind them, at the end of the carriage, revealing what appeared to be an old scroll set into a frame on the wall, what looked like cuneiform inscriptions on it though the Time Lords doubted it was that exact form of written but more an alien variation of it. The cuneiform from earth was more set into clay tablets than written on a scroll, so that eliminated that the creature was from ancient Earth then, "For reasons currently unknown, the Foretold appears in the vicinity of this artifact."

"And kills at regular intervals," the Doctor added.

"Then just maybe we should throw this thing out in the airlock," Quell took a step for it, intent to do just that…only to get shocked in the hand as he tried to reach it.

"I doubt you're the first person to think of doing that," Evy told him dryly, "They would take precautions against it."

"What if we say no?" Moorhouse called out, looking at the ceiling, at the speakers the voice came from, "Down tools? Refuse to work?"

"That _is_ your choice, of course," the voice agreed, "But it would be very upsetting were you all to die at the hands of the Foretold."

"So hurry up, before it kills you," Perkins muttered the unspoken end to the announcer's words.

"But even if they agree to this," the Doctor shook his head, "How are they supposed to study a creature that they can't even see…" he trailed off and looked at Evy, "You HAVEN'T seen it, have you?"

Evy blinked, almost about to ask why she would be able to when she recalled that she HAD been able to see another invisible creature once before, "No," she shook her head, "I saw nothing when the guard was attacked or even on Mrs. Pitt's footage."

"Good," he let out a breath, not wanting to know what it could mean that she saw it when no one else could, the Krafayis had been enough of an event. Though…he supposed it DID mean one thing, the Foretold really DID appear only to those who were about to die, which was a relief, in a way, Evy wasn't about to die then, he could focus and concentrate on the work at hand much better without that threat on him.

"Though it makes this much harder," Evy remarked, "If I can't see it too, then we can't even begin to identify the species, unless one of the experts in alien species was next," she frowned at that, they did not want anyone to be next if they could help it.

The Doctor opened his mouth to agree when the lights flickered. His eyes shot to Evy, both of them knowing what that meant, knowing that the lights had only flickered in the train moments before the Foretold appeared to someone, "Perkins, start the clock," he called, looking around to try and determine who was going to see the mummy first…

"Approximately 1.8 meters tall," Moorhouse called, making the Time Lords spin to face the rigid man that was staring at the end of the carriage, "Actually, seeing it in the flesh isn't nearly as rewarding as I thought it might be…"

"Oh, dear," the Doctor breathed, sincerely hoping that the mummy wasn't really about to pick off the more necessary experts first, "Hard cheese. What can you see? Details."

"Yes," Moorhouse swallowed hard, "Yes, of course, of course. Uh…well, it just looks like er…a man in bandages. I…"

"We knew it was a mummy," Evy shook her head, "Can you see what kind of bandages though?"

"Old?" the Doctor offered, "New?"

"Old," Moorhouse determined, starting to back up a bit.

"Whole? Ragged?"

"Ragged. Falling off in places. I don't know what you want me to tell you…"

"Moorhouse, we're so sorry, but we can't see it," Evy frowned at that, as much as she'd hated being able to see the Krafayis given what it had meant for her and why she'd been able to, she'd give anything to see the mummy now instead of the humans, "YOU can. You have to tell us everything you can see, anything at all that can help us identify it."

"Even the smallest detail might help save the next one," the Doctor agreed.

Moorhouse tensed at those words, "The _next_ one? You mean you can't save _me_?"

"Well, that is implied, isn't it?"

"We're sorry," Evy cut in, fixing the Doctor with a firm look and shake of the head, "But we don't know enough about it to be able to stop it…"

"So make it count. Details, please."

Moorhouse shook his head, stumbling back but _trying_ , "Er, flesh. Some of it is visible."

"30 seconds," Perkins warned.

"Er, leathery. Ancient looking. Peat bog preserved…"

"Good, good," Evy nodded.

"Keep talking," the Doctor encouraged, "Don't waste this chance!"

"I want to bargain for my life!" Moorhouse suddenly shouted, "It…itt says, some of the myths say if you…if you find the right word, if you make the right offer, then it lets you go!"

"This isn't a myth," Evy shook her head, "Myth gets warped, we might be able to find that word but we need to know more about it first…"

"Forget your superstitions," the Doctor moved in his line of sight, "Tell us what you can see!"

"This is my life, my death!" the man shouted, "I'm going to fight for it how I want. Er, I give you…" he gasped, nearly tripping back away from the Doctor.

"10 seconds!" Perkins called.

"My soul!" Moorhouse attempted, "I confess all sins. I give you all my worldly goods. Only, please, please, please. No!"

Evy winced and looked away as Moorhouse gripped at his head and fell to his knees, collapsing with a scream to the ground just as Perkins whispered, "0."

"We apologize for any distress you may have just experienced," the speakered voice called, "Grief counseling is available on request. On the bright side, I'm sure you've all collected a lot of data. Well done, everyone!"

Perkins let out a breath, drawing their attention over to one of the monitors, the screen splitting in four, playing the death of Mrs. Pitt, the chef, the guard, and Moorehouse for them, "It's recording every death."

"Of course it is," the Doctor grumbled, disgusted, "That's why we're here. To study our own demise. So let's get to work. Come on. Chop, chop!" he turned and grabbed a white lab coat hanging on the wall and tossed it to the scientists around them. He glanced at Evy to see her watching Moorhouse as two guards helped move him to another compartment, "You alright?"

She swallowed hard, "I wish I could see it," she murmured, "Not…not see it because I'm dying," she added when he looked at her horrified, "Just see it like the Krafayis. If I could see it…I'd see more than the humans would."

"I know," he leaned in and kissed her temple, "We both would."

"So far it's targeted only the humans," she remarked, "I don't want it to go through all of them before us, I don't want them to be in danger."

He let out a sympathetic breath, "We have to find out how it's picking its targets first, then we can work out a way to lure it to us."

Evy nodded at that, "Does it make me a terrible person that I'm a little happy LJ didn't come?" she glanced at him.

He gave her a gentle smile, "No, it makes you a mother," he reassured her, "He would be in danger, if it's like the Siren with Captain Avery, picking off the weakest first? I don't even want to think about if it would consider a Time Lord child weaker or stronger to the humans."

Evy sighed, "He'd probably start clapping if he could see it."

"Want it as a pet."

"Not even realize he's in danger."

"He gets that from you…"

"Oi!" Evy rounded on him, poking him in the chest, "That's YOU in him, mister."

He smiled, reaching up to grab her hand before she could pull it away, resting it in the center of his chest, "We'll work this out," he promised her, "And we'll get back to our son."

"Biting and all," she agreed, the two of them turning to help the others work out the data they had.

~8~

Evy stood at the side of the laboratory carriage, sonicing one of the comms. on the wall to connect her to the baggage car, "Clara," she breathed, relieved when they got in contact with her again. It had been an hour already since they'd started to investigate the mummy in earnest, "We need you to…"

"Do some digging about the records of the mummy and sarcophagus?" Clara guessed, "Yeah, I figured you'd want me to look at it. Not much use without a sonic, but Maisie and I did find some records and files stashed in the bubble wrap."

"You did?" Evy smiled, gesturing the Doctor to listen in with a tap to her ear, receiving a subtle nod from him across the room, "What did you find?"

"Ok, so, first things first. The sarcophagus is actually a secure stasis unit."

"That's probably where they want us to trap the Foretold once we capture it."

"Well, that would have been good to know before I started reading about it and wondering if that's where the mummy escaped first," Clara huffed.

"Please terminate your call and return to work," Evy glanced up to see the speakers had spoken to her.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, Clara," Evy waved it off, "What else?"

"Passenger manifests from other ships," Clara continued, "Maisie recognized a couple of the names. These are missing ships."

"Well, we did doubt it was the first ship," Evy mused…

"Please terminate your call and return to work," the speakers repeated.

Evy pulled her sonic out and flicked it up at the speakers, causing the one above her to spark and cut off, "Anything else?"

"I've got some progress reports," Clara offered, "The Gloriana spent three days getting picked off by the Foretold. All died. Performance marked as 'poor.' The Valiant Heart, 42 crew, 4 died. Performance: 'promising.'"

"Please terminate the call and return to work."

Evy spun around, about to tell the speaker across the room that had begun to talk now to shove off…when something outside the window caught her eye…the kitchen staff…they were floating outside the windows, their equipment drifting by them…all dead.

Her jaw tensed at that, not pleased at all at what was a rather obvious threat, whoever was using the speakers had purposefully ejected the staff to prove a point, "Clara, I'll call you back in a mo."

"I'm sorry," the speaker at the end of the room continued as Evy ended the call and stalked towards it with a glare, looking up at the small security camera above it, "I know that must have been distressing for you. But if you are disobedient again, I will decompress another area containing less valuable passengers."

"Don't you DARE call them 'less valuable passengers,'" she threatened the box, "They are human beings and they did not deserve to be killed just because you don't like people challenging your authority!"

She let out a huff of air as she felt the Doctor's hands settle on her shoulders and tug her back lightly, pressing a kiss to the back of her head to calm her though she could tell he was just as furious as she was at how the crew had just been cast off.

"How does it choose?" the Doctor murmured, trying to give her a way to focus on something else, distract herself, "How does it choose who to kill? I've been thinking of the Siren ever since I mentioned her, there has to be a reason or a pattern, some sort of trait all the victims shared that's drawing it here."

Evy nodded, turning around, "Perkins," she called, "Can you get us the full histories of the past victims? Everything from their medical conditions, social status, personal background…everything."

Perkins nodded and hurried over to a monitor to do that, as the speakers activated again, "Well done."

Evy just pursed her lips and walked away, the Doctor with her though he glared at the security camera for good measure.

~8~

Perkins frowned as he looked through the different records of the last victims of the Foretold on a tablet, the Doctor and Evy beside him, "Doesn't seem to be any pattern. Their travel history, interests, health. It's all over the shop. Health?"

"Health?" the Doctor considered, "Are you sure? Mrs. Pitt, the first victim. She was over a hundred years old. The frailest passenger onboard."

"We've seen it happen before," Evy nodded, "We've seen another being pick off the weak and wounded."

"Oh but the next to go, the chef, was young and fit," Perkins countered, "It's random."

"Young and fit," Evy repeated, "So not weak but…was he wounded?" she looked at Perkins, "Even a small wound could be something, a nick of the knife, a cut…it could be enough to draw something to him."

"The chef was ill," Quell remarked, coming up behind them, Evy's talks of wounds striking something.

"What?" the Doctor turned to him.

"A rare blood disorder," he murmured, "Not contagious, but we kept it quiet."

"Because he worked with food."

"What about the next one?" Evy turned to Quell as well, "That guard, was he ill?"

Quell seemed uncomfortable to say, "He wasn't ill as such, but he _did_ have synthetic lungs implanted last year."

"Professor Moorhouse!" Perkins called, getting to the man's records, "It seems he was physically fine but suffering from…here we are, regular panic attacks after a car crash last year."

"It's just like the Siren," the Doctor nodded, looking at Evy, "It's picking off the weakest first. Sensing the illness somehow. The fake organs, even psychological issues."

"And now we know how it's picking its targets, we can figure out who the next is," Evy agreed, and knowing who it was going after next could help them work out how to save them.

"I want the medical records of everybody alive who is still onboard," the Doctor ordered Perkins, "If anyone's had as much as a cold, I want to know about it."

"You…really think it can sense psychological issues?" Quell hesitated to ask.

"It seems so."

"Why do you sound so worried about that?" Evy eyed him.

"When you said I'd lost the stomach for a fight," he sighed, glancing between them, "I wasn't wounded in battle as such, but…my unit was bombed. I was the sole survivor. Not a scratch on me."

"PTSD," Evy murmured.

Quell nodded, "Nightmares. Still can't sleep without pills."

"Which means that you are probably next," the Doctor warned, "Which is good to know."

"Well, not for me!"

"Well, of course not for you, because you're going to die. But I mean for us, from a research point of view."

"You know, for a doctor, your bedside manner leaves…" Quell choked back a gasp as the lights flickered, just as they had before the Foretold had appeared to Moorhouse.

"Well, there's goes our head start," the Doctor muttered, "Perkins! Start the clock!"

"Quell?" Evy moved to his side, seeing the man staring at in her direction in horror, "Do you see it?"

He nodded, "Almost feels out of focus. Gives me a headache just looking at it…" he quickly pulled his pistol from its holster, as though it would help.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" the Doctor quickly pulled Evy away, knowing that just because the man was going to fire and it wouldn't hurt the Foretold didn't mean he might miss and strike someone else, "That didn't work before!"

"What kind of soldier would I be, dying with bullets in my gun?" he fired, the other scientists quickly ducking to avoid the bullets the man continued to shoot till he ran out.

"50 seconds!" Perkins called out.

"Someone shut that man up! For the record, it didn't even flinch."

"Did it not flinch because it knew it wouldn't affect it," Evy glanced at the Doctor, thinking out loud, "Or because it's already dead? Or because it's used to weapons going off around it?"

"Where is it now?" the Doctor looked at Quell, though he nodded at her questions. If the Foretold could react to what was aimed at it, its reactions or lack of might tell them more about the life it lived that it didn't flinch at guns going off.

"Approximately twenty feet in front of me and closing," Quell sucked in a deep breath, trying hard to remain still, as though it might help.

"40 seconds," Perkins slowly stood from where he'd hidden when the Captain started to fire.

The Doctor looked around and moved into Quell's sight, "Am I close?"

Quell seemed sick, "It's passing right through you, like a ghost."

Evy quickly pulled out her sonic and scanned the area, the Doctor, but frowned at the results, "It's not a hologram."

"If you move, will it follow?" the Doctor asked.

"Do you want me to move?" Quell let out a breath, "Because I can certainly do that!"

The Doctor nodded, "Keep looking at it, but back off quick as you like."

Quell hurriedly scuttled back, only to stop short with his eyes wide, "It's teleported away!" he turned, about to run for the door and screamed, stumbling back, "It's behind me!"

"20 seconds," Perkins murmured.

"I think this is it," Quell's voice shook, "Still, suppose it's not a bad way to go. Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that. And thank you, Doctor, for waking me up. It's reaching for me," he tried to lean back, "Hands on my head…"

Perkins winced and closed his eyes, "0."

Just as Quell screamed, reaching for his face, before he collapsed to the ground…right as Evy's sonic beeped.

"Teleporter?" she frowned at it, seeing that it had caught something before the Foretold might have disappeared after taking Quell's life, "That means there's some tech here," she looked at the Doctor.

He nodded, "Then 66 seconds to do what?" he muttered, "66 seconds. That seems very, very specific."

Evy nodded, "Too specific for an actual person to manage every time. So it has to be a machine, or some kind of program."

"More tech," the Doctor agreed, "But what? A countdown clock? Something charging?"

"A man just died in front of us!" Perkins cut in, "Can we not just have a moment?"

"If we take a moment, we risk the Foretold coming back quicker and without us having come up with anything to help," Evy shook her head, "I'm sorry, but if we stop, even a moment, we lose time to try and save the next person."

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointed at her, "Everybody, what takes 66 seconds to charge up or to change state?" he looked around, "Anyone? Am I surrounded by idiots?"

"I'll take offense to that," Evy muttered.

"Are WE surrounded by idiots?" he instantly corrected, before huffing, "If only I could see this thing."

"Don't even joke about that," Perkins frowned.

"Neither of us are joking about it," Evy remarked, "We both want to see it, if just to identify it."

"You really think you're THAT good?" Perkins shook his head.

The Doctor scoffed at that, "One minute with either of us and this thing, it would be over!"

"You know, I can't tell if you're a genius or just incredibly arrogant."

"Well, ah, on a good day, I'm both."

"Focus, Doctor," Evy turned to him, taking his hands, "Ancient tech. It has to be incredibly well kept and self sustaining to be able to last this long, another clue."

"Yes but how?" he shook his head, "Tech that keeps it alive? Tech that drains energy from the living?" his eyes widened, and he turned, quickly flashing Quell with his sonic, "Deep tissue scan…" he nodded at the results, spinning to Evy, "He's been leached of almost all energy on a cellular level. The heart attack is just a…is just a side effect."

"Oh, it's not just a mummy, it's a vampire," Perkins murmured, "Metaphorically speaking."

"But what sort of drainage takes 66 seconds?" Evy tried to work it out, "Unless…it's not a drainage? Phasing, moving energy out of phase, that takes round about a minute yes?"

The Doctor stared at her, "And that's why only the victims can see it!" he realized, "It takes them out of phase so it can drain their energy. Oh you are brilliant!" he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her lips quickly, "This explains everything!"

Evy gave him an amused look for that, "Well everything except what it is and how it's managing to do all this."

"Right," he nodded, letting out a huff of breath, "Sorry, I jumped the gun there with the 'that explains everything remark.'"

"Yes, you did a bit."

"Oi," Perkins called them over, having been scrolling through the health records, "I think we know the next victim."

The Doctor frowned as Perkins handed them his tablet, allowing them to see his next guess, "Ah, of course. That makes perfect sense," he looked at Evy showing her, "Best call her."

"She won't like this," Evy murmured, heading to the comm. on the wall anyway, "Clara…" she sighed, rubbing her forehead, "We need you to bring Maisie to the lounge car."

"Why?" the frown was audible in Clara's voice.

"We think she may be the next victim of the Foretold," she informed Clara quietly, "It's picking off the weakest of us first, weak in both a physical and mental sense…and even before, just her talking to us, it's clear she's not quite well at the moment…"

"Look, she's had a bad day. That's all!"

"It won't care," Evy argued, "Her grief and her breakdown is going to make her the prime target. If…"

"Ok, but," Clara cut in, "But we're in here and, if we stay in here, that thing can't…"

"It will get in," Evy shook her head, "It's using a teleporter, we've managed to work that out, it can teleport anywhere on this train, including baggage."

"Ok," she sighed, "But you can save her? Right?"

"We're going to try," was all she could promise.

"And if your trying fails?"

"Then we hope she gives us enough information to save the next person," Evy had to say, "But Clara, we're going to try, as hard as we can, to keep a next one from happening. But Clara you need to bring her here. Can you do that?" she hesitated when she heard Clara's silence, "Can you muster enough trust for just this one more moment?"

Clara let out a long breath, "We're coming."

~8~

The Time Lords looked over as the door to the carriage opened and Clara stepped in, Maisie behind her. The Doctor quickly hurried over to her, the woman sticking out her hand to greet them, "Hello, again. I'm Maisie."

"Good for you," the Doctor shook her hand back quickly.

"We passed the TARDIS on the way here," Clara frowned, "Thought about getting inside, hiding, pulling the levers and hoping for the best. But we couldn't even get in. There was a force field around it."

"It could be Gus," Evy shook her head, "But even if you could get in there, Clara, the TARDIS wouldn't fly for you."

"But I'm a…I'm a Time Lady now."

"She wouldn't fly away and abandon US just because you're having trust issues right now," Evy shot back, really not having time to deal with this. Now that Maisie was here, they didn't know how long it would be before the Foretold went after her.

Clara frowned at Evy's words but chose to, for the moment, ignore her comment about the trust issues and focus on the other part, "But how would Gus even know to shield the TARDIS? It's just a box to him isn't it?"

"No, I'm afraid he knows exactly what the TARDIS is."

"How?" Clara shook her head, "If he knows what it is, then he knows what you are…"

"We are," Evy muttered off handedly, "And yes, he knows that too."

"He tried to entice us here before," the Doctor added, scanning Maisie with his sonic, "Free tickets, mysterious summons, he even phoned the TARDIS number. Do you know how difficult a number…"

"You knew," Clara cut in suddenly, turning to Evy with a glare on her face, "Again! You _knew_ this was no relaxing break. You knew this was dangerous!"

"No, Clara, we didn't," Evy told her firmly, "We may have thought it was possible that it was dangerous, but we thought that Gus wouldn't reappear to the same train a second time with a different Egyptian themed trick. We thought he'd try something new and we'd be safe. That is all and that is the truth. Believe what you want about us right now, because we NEED to find a way to save Maisie and stop the Foretold and you second guessing us at each turn will NOT help! So either go with it and help us or…or go stand in a corner till you're ready to help!"

Clara's lips pursed at that, but she said nothing else about it, realizing she'd been put in her place for jumping to conclusions again…just as Maisie had warned her she'd done before as well. She'd jumped to one conclusion about the moon and hadn't let Evy explain or talk about it. And right now there wasn't time to get into the whole long tale about what the Orient Express was or what they knew of it or might have done around it before, right now Maisie's life was at stake. And she was going to save this human if it was the last thing she did.

And, speak of the devil…Maisie was now staring across the carriage, pointing at something only she could see as the lights flickered.

"Do we start the clock?" Perkins frowned, glancing at the Time Lords.

"Not yet," the Doctor shook his head, moving to stand in front of Maisie, scanning her face with one of the handheld scanners that had been provided to the scientists, "Focus. Focus. Focus!" he told her, "All of that is your grief, your trauma, your resentment. And now…"

"Don't…" Evy began.

But it was too late, the Doctor put the scanner to his head and flicked it on, zapping himself, "It's mine."

Maisie blinked, "It's gone!"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "No, it's not. Not for me. Cos now it thinks I'm you," he tossed the scanner onto a table, looking at Evy as she winced and rubbed her head, "Sorry."

She took a deep breath, starting to get a headache from the other emotions the Doctor had taken from Maisie, duplicated, and crammed into his own head, drifting down the Link to her, if just a bit less than it was in his head. She held up a hand to stop him talking, "Doctor, please explain to me why you would add even MORE of a mess to your already crowded mind just to see a mummy?"

"Better us than her?" he tried to shrug, "We'd have a better chance."

"What…us?" Clara looked between them.

Evy looked over at Clara, "He's copied Maisie's brainwaves, he's trying to lure the Foretold to him. He's not the only one who will be able to see it now. My mind's just as crowded and chaotic as his now, and if not," she looked at the Doctor as he straightened, "I'll be able to see it through his eyes."

"Start the clock," the Doctor called to Perkins.

Evy glanced over, closing her eyes when she realized that she couldn't quite see the Foretold, even now, because it was affecting the Doctor's mind. She could see a haze, something blurry that flickered into sharp focus sporadically, but not clear enough to help. So she focused, using his eyes to see the Foretold before him, a mummy dragging its foot towards him, reaching for him.

"Hello," the Doctor began, "I'm so pleased to finally see you. I'm the Doctor and I will be your victim this evening. Are you my mummy?"

"Doctor!" Evy half-snapped.

He nodded, focusing, "You can't hurt me until my time is up," he muttered quickly, "So are there magic words? Is there a way to stop you in your tracks? Oh," he glanced at Maisie, "You really didn't like your gran, did you?"

"Doctor!"

"Yes," he snapped his attention back to the mummy.

"Do you see that?" Evy's face scrunched, "His chest…something under the bandages…"

"Yes," he nodded, "Writing, and, by the way, you weren't being paranoid, Maisie, she really did poison your pony."

"I will revert to my last self and slap you Doctor if you don't focus!" Evy told him, "If you make our son an orphan I will find some way to kill you in the afterlife."

"Yes, yes, the markings on his chest," the Doctor forced himself to keep his sight on the mummy and nothing else, the reminder of his son jarring him into action, "Like the ones the scroll…a tattered piece of cloth attached to a length of wood that you will kill for…"

"30 seconds," Perkins called.

"No," Evy shook her head, "That's not what a scroll is…that's a flag, cloth on one piece of wood, it's a flag!"

"And if that sounds like a flag, if this _is_ a flag," he dashed over to the scroll set in the wall, "That means that you are a soldier," he spun to the Foretold as it continued to approach him, "Wounded in a forgotten war thousands of years ago."

"It's not just that," Evy frowned, "He would have needed tech to make all this happen, he couldn't have done it to himself. Other people made him into this, did this to him."

"They've filled you full of kit. State of the art phase camouflage, personal teleporter…"

"10 seconds!" Perkins looked almost frantic now.

"Evy…" Clara moved to the woman's side, forgetting entirely that she was meant to be cross with the woman in the face of what she knew would be a very brutal reality about to happen if the Doctor died.

"And life supoprt," Evy added, "The energy draining and phasing, it's keeping it alive."

"It just won't let you die, will it?" the Doctor eyed the mummy even as it reached for him, "It won't let the war end. It just won't let you stop until the war is over…" he nodded, understanding now, understand the exact words that had to be said to end the war, to stop the machinery, to free the Foretold, "We surrender."

"0," Perkins looked up…and gasped, causing Evy to open her eyes to see…the Foretold standing there, and, from the looks on everyone else's faces, she wasn't the only one that could see it now.

"I can see it again!" Maisie confirmed.

The Foretold stepped back from the Doctor, its outstretched arm lowering.

"That's because we all can," Evy nodded.

"Do I start the clock?" Perkins looked at her.

"No."

The Doctor smiled as the Foretold saluted him, the one salute he would accept, "The clock has stopped. You're relieved, soldier," he took a step back as the mummy crumbled before their eyes into a pile of dust and dirt and bandages.

"Phew," Perkins smiled, "He's not the only one."

Evy frowned, seeing the Doctor crouch down and pick something out of the wrappings, covered in blue wires, and moved closer to get another look. Clara stepped beside her, "We were fighting that?" Clara asked.

"So was he," the Doctor nodded.

"And I don't think the fight's over just yet," Evy looked around, up at the speakers, "Has our progress been promising enough?" she called up to it.

"Yes, we solved your little puzzle," the Doctor moved beside her, "Ancient soldier being driven by malfunctioning tech."

"Thank you so much for your efforts," the voice spoke down to them, "They are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, survivors of this exercise are not required."

The Doctor and Evy quickly drew their sonics and got to work, having expected that, the Doctor rushing to one of the work tables, while Evy gathered supplies from another.

"There's a shocker," the Doctor muttered, his back to the other passengers as they began to gasp and clutch at their necks, a hissing noise filling the room as the air was slowly taken out of it.

"Air will now be removed from the entire train," the voice on the speakers stated, "We hope you have enjoyed your journey on the Orient Express."

Clara looked around, frowning as she…didn't quite feel the effects of it as badly as the others were, "I take it you know a way out?" she hurried over to the Time Lords, wanting to help, but they were huddled together, already working on something.

"My enemy's enemy is my friend," the Doctor placed the blue wired device on the table before them, Evy already sonicing it, "Especially when he has a built in teleporter."

"Great!" Clara gasped a bit, seeing Perkins and Maisie falling to the ground, NOW starting to feel the effects of the air being cut off, her body, her lungs, not quite used to the bypass system just yet, her brain still operating as though her body was a human, "So use it!"

"Just a little more time…" Evy muttered, quickly reaching across the table for another wire.

"We don't…" Clara started to pant, blinking rapidly as the other humans fell to the ground.

"Couple of minutes," the Doctor waved her off.

Clara tried to keep awake, tried to breathe like a Time Lady (however a Time Lady breathed) but it was too much, she sank to her knees, trying to draw in more breath, needing to help the others…when her world went dark just as a bright light filled the room.

Just before she closed her eyes, she could have sworn she'd heard the Doctor shout 'Bingo!'

~8~

Evy looked over when Clara stirred on a small blanket they'd set up for her to lie on, another wrapped around her with the Doctor's jacket rolled up to be a pillow. They had been hoping she would wake soon. Despite being Time Lord now, her body was still getting used to it, she'd fallen unconscious only a moment before they'd gotten the teleporter working and they knew it shouldn't take long for her to wake, they were pleased to see they were right though.

"Oh hello, again," the Doctor called, absently writing some Gallifreyan mathematics into the sand, he and Evy trying to quietly compete in some recreational mathematics while they waited for Clara, "Sleep well?"

"Weren't we just on a train?" Clara frowned, wincing as she rubbed her head.

"Oh, that was ages ago."

"And?" she looked at them slowly, not sure she wanted to know the fate of the train.

"And what?"

Evy shook her head at him fondly, he was every bit as oblivious as his last selves had been, "We managed to get the teleporter to work," Evy reassured her, "Everyone was beamed to the TARDIS and brought to the hospital for further checks," she nodded over her shoulder at the town just in the distance, Maisie was there, even Perkins, all getting checked, all doing fine, "No one else died."

"We tried hacking Gus from the TARDIS," the Doctor added, "Find out who set this all up. He really didn't like that. Set off some fail-safe thing. Blew up the train."

Clara blinked, "Blew up the train?"

"After we were off it," Evy elaborated.

"Yes, we took care of all the others and…you seemed happy asleep so we just left you," the Doctor nodded.

"So you saved everyone," Clara eyed them.

"Don't sound so surprised, Clara," Evy frowned, "No matter what we do, we're FAR from heartless. TWO hearts," she added, "We wouldn't just leave everyone to die to save ourselves."

"Or would you like it if we were?" the Doctor eyed her, moving to stand by Evy's side, "Would you like to think that about us? Would that make it easier, truly, to say goodbye? To stay away? If you thought we were heartless, if you thought you'd turn heartless too?" he sighed, "We didn't know if we _could_ save Maisie or any of the others. We couldn't save Quell, we couldn't save Moorhouse..."

"There _was_ a good chance that she'd die too," Evy told her, "But we would have tried to save her, every person the Foretold targeted, we tried to find out more about it from them, because if what they said came together and the puzzle was solved, we could have saved them. But it didn't happen. And we were forced to move onto the next, and the next, until we could finally beat it."

"Sometimes the only choices you have are bad ones. But you still have to choose."

"Like on the Moon," Clara breathed, taking a deep inhale before she looked up at Evy, "I want to have that talk now," she told her, "5 minutes, like I promised. 5 minutes for you to explain to me what that was about," she held up a finger as Evy nodded and approached, "But…but don't think it will change my mind about all this. Right now…right now that feels impossible, even for you."

"Understood," Evy sat beside her, though Clara's lips pursed at how Evy sounded more confident and amused than worried that she was being firm in her claims that her mind wouldn't change, "Clara…what do YOU think happened? Because I know what it seemed to me, and what I thought you'd see it as you clearly didn't. So I need to know what YOU thought before I can even start to explain whether it was right or wrong."

"It was wrong," Clara determined, "Whatever it was that you were planning or trying to say or prove…it was wrong. How you did it was wrong, so, SO wrong."

"That may be," Evy conceded, "But I need to know why. If you don't explain to me why it hurt you more than it should have, I won't be able to not do it again."

Clara nodded slowly at that, "We were on the moon," she began, "And it was hatching. Lundvik was going to blow it up and then…out of nowhere…you two just…left. You were going on about how it wasn't your moon and how it shouldn't be your decision to make. But you left ME there, as though it _was_ mine."

"It WAS," this time it was the Doctor who spoke up, joining them and crouching beside Evy, "It was your moon, your planet."

"But it wasn't, isn't," Clara flinched, "THAT was what you were trying to prove to me," she looked at Evy, "You said you wanted me to understand who I was. You left me there to make the choice."

"And what choice was that?" Evy looked at her, almost willing her to answer.

Clara let out a long breath, looking away, "You made me choose between saving the alien or the humans, between the alien that I am and the human that I was…and I…I picked the alien."

Evy stared at her a long while, so long in silence that Clara looked back at her, frowning at the odd look on Evy's face. It wasn't odd like she was cross that she'd made that connection, or pleased that she'd been right which made her…no, but no she wasn't wrong, she couldn't be wrong, what other choice was there?!

"That…that IS what you made me do, isn't it?"

And now, for the very first time in weeks…she was starting to think that maybe she HAD been wrong.

"Is that…really what you thought I was trying to do?" Evy whispered, sounding a little horrified and more than a little shocked, "That I was trying to make you pick between being Time Lord or human?"

"Wasn't it?" Clara shook her head.

"No," Evy murmured, "Not at all. That wasn't my intention at all…" she looked at the Doctor a moment, seeing that he too seemed startled that THAT was the conclusion that Clara had gathered from events.

"Then what was it if not that?"

It had to be that, it had to, it had to be THAT reason, that horrible reason or…or how she'd treated them since, how she'd treated the Captain…had been completely unjustified.

"Clara," Evy looked at her softly, "I knew the Moon was an egg, yes. I knew it was going to hatch into a Star Whale," she smiled at that thought, recalling how she'd told the beast once a long time ago that she didn't believe he was the last of his kind, "And I knew that the humans would try to destroy it, that they would consider it. The Doctor and I," she reached out to take the Doctor's hand, "We knew what WE would do, if the choice was up to us…"

"Save the alien," Clara cut in.

"Not quite," Evy shook her head, "The alien would have been saved, yes, but that wouldn't have been the reason why. Why did YOU save it?"

"Because it was a baby," Clara frowned, "It was an innocent little baby and I just…I couldn't let it be killed."

"And what made you feel that way about it? Did you know anything about it? Any alien knowledge that told you it would be alright? That it was docile? Or…"

"No!" Clara huffed, "I didn't know anything about it, I just couldn't let a baby die."

Evy nodded, not getting frustrated with Clara's irritation, "Your humanity is what saved that Star Whale, Clara. And THAT was the point."

"I'm not following."

Evy gave a light chuckle, "You were worried, that you were becoming too much like me, too…Time Lady, that you were losing your humanity."

"How did you…"

But Evy kept on, "I wanted you to see that it wouldn't happen Clara. I wanted you to know that, when the time came, you would make the HUMAN choice. You would save that baby for the sheer fact that it was a baby, not because it was the alien."

Clara stared at her, "But…"

"It WAS your Moon Clara," the Doctor offered, "It was Earth's moon, the moon you grew up with, the moon hanging in the sky of the planet you were born on. You, out of all of us, had the right to decide what happened to it. Because you ARE from Earth. Whether you're Time Lady now, the Earth will always be your home too. We didn't want to influence you to make a choice just because we're 'aliens' or because you thought you had to make it as a Time Lady."

"I don't…"

"Clara," Evy reached out to take the girl's hand, "Humanity…so many people think it's something that ONLY humans have, because of the name. But it's a social construct, it's a term and title that is taught to you in human terms and context when really it's…an inner goodness that people either have or don't. Earth is not unique in being the only planet with a species like yours. There are humans scattered all across the Galaxy, on many other planets, Sto, the Gamma Forests, so many others, all have inhabitants identical to humans in every single way. Some though, are…cruel, bitter people, savages even with technology. They are human, but they don't have a shred of _humanity_ in them. Being a good person, being kind and empathetic, understanding and patient, doing the _right thing_ …THAT is what humanity means. And that isn't something you could ever lose just by becoming a Time Lady."

"There are times, Clara, where we make the more humane choices than even the humans do," the Doctor added, "There are times, that humans…fail. There are times where their fears and doubts and pain cloud their minds, dim their sense of humanity. You saw that happen on the moon."

"Everyone was saying to kill it," Clara murmured.

"And YOU knew it was wrong to do," Evy nodded, "Because you understood, and you knew it was right to save the baby. Sometimes, Clara, being an alien can make you MORE human, because you don't look at every other species that's different as being an alien threat, because you ARE the alien to them. The humans were looking at the Star Whale as an alien, and that meant a threat. You could look at both humans and the Star Whale as being aliens, that they were both the same and that it was just as wrong to kill a human child as it was to kill the egg and Whale."

"We could tell that you were struggling," the Doctor hesitated to add when Clara fell silent, "You were pulling back, you were trying NOT to be a Time Lady. Because you were scared of what that meant, and that's fine," he added quickly, "Everyone gets scared sometimes, it's natural and it's normal. We've…we've never seen someone become our species like you did Clara, we're just as lost as you but we're trying to help you in any way we can. But we can't if you don't tell us what bothers you at times."

"You were so focused on the fact that being a Time Lady meant being an alien, meant not being human, meant…losing your humanity," Evy offered Clara a smile as the girl looked at her, tears in her eyes, "That you couldn't see that humanity isn't something that ONLY humans have. And I don't even know why you would think that, not after travelling with us, seeing so many other species out there that are good, genuine people…"

"It…" Clara swallowed, "It was something Danny said, after…after the Blitzer. He just…he said something about being human, and forgetting what it meant to be that. He said that humans had something unique, their humanity, and that if I lost that it would be like saying I'd never been human in the first place."

The Time Lords were silent at that, until…

"What would possess you to believe a single human that's only ever encountered humans as the authority on what humanity means and whether ONLY humans can have it?"

Evy closed her eyes at the Doctor's harshly phrased question, but…it did have a point to it. Danny had never left the planet or experienced any other alien but them or the Blitzer. How could he possibly know whether or not other aliens had something that was exactly like humanity, but just a different word for it?

"I don't know," Clara sniffled, "He…got into my head, I suppose."

"And in doing so you kept us OUT of your head, you kept the Captain out…"

"I know," Clara cut him off, "I know. I made a mistake."

"As did I," Evy sighed, making Clara look at her, "I thought that taking you to the moon, letting you be the one to make the choice that came with being there, that you would realize you'd made the 'human' choice. That you'd realize that being a Time Lady didn't turn you into an alien in the sense that you'd become this…this other person that doesn't care or that looks at humans more like interesting play things than people. I thought that it would help you realize that you would always make the right choice, whether it was for the alien or against it, whether it was the alien choice or the human choice, sometimes that doesn't even matter so much that the choice itself is the right one. I though you could realize that yes, you were alien now, but it didn't mean you lost what made you a good, decent person. And I was wrong…"

"But I do get it now," Clara frowned at her, "I…I can see it, I see that's what it was meant to be and I realize that I DID make the 'human' choice and…"

"I mean that I went about it the entirely wrong way," Evy continued, reassuring her, "I never should have put you in that position where you felt responsible for the lives of the entire Earth or where you thought you'd have to bear the weight of killing another alien. That was wrong of me. That was a horrible position to put you in. I didn't think of how you might come to see it, because I was so sure you'd realize what my point was that I didn't consider you wouldn't. I'm not perfect Clara, I do make mistakes, everyone does…how does that phrase go, to err is _human_?" she smiled a bit at that, seeing Clara offer a small smile in return and nod, "I AM sorry that my actions hurt you and made you question yourself more. I AM sorry that it upset you and I should have just talked to you about it instead of trying to show you, but I thought the fact you weren't talking to us meant you didn't want to talk about it at all and I thought it would be a more subtle way to reassure you than to have you say things out loud that you didn't want to express. I was wrong," she squeezed Clara's hand, "Could you ever forgive me for it?"

Clara took a deep breath but nodded, "We both made a mess of it. I…I reacted badly, worse than I should have, and I…I got so caught up in how angry I was, how much I thought that, in saving the Star Whale, in saving the alien, that I'd turned my back on being human cos I cared about it more than Earth. I got so caught in that that I lashed out at you and I didn't stop to think that you wouldn't ever do that, try to force me to accept that I'm a Time Lady. I should have talked to you too."

"And I should have talked to you about how you felt in turning Time Lady. It is a lot to bear Clara, and you've done so well so far in accepting this, all the changes that came with it. We shouldn't have expected you to be ok with all of it and take it all in with ease. There was bound to be something that would get to you. I thought wrong about the moon, I made the wrong decision and I won't do it again, Clara," she crossed her hearts.

"It's ok," Clara murmured, "I mean, not the…not the putting me in that situation, but I understand you're sorry and I know you didn't mean to hurt me and won't do it again. I…I promise that I won't try to run off or ignore you again. I'll listen and I'll talk to YOU," she looked between them, "Second if anything bothers me."

The Doctor nodded at that, smiling, before he blinked, "Second?"

"The Captain comes first."

"As he should," the Doctor chuckled, "As he should."

Clara winced at that though, "Speaking of the Captain…" she looked at them, "Could you give me a lift? I think I need to talk to my Link."

"Of course," Evy squeezed her hand, helping her stand as the Doctor rose with her…when SHE blinked, "You won't run off or ignore us _again_?" she looked at Clara, "Do you mean…"

"Seems you did the impossible again," Clara smiled at them, "I…I'd like to…keep travelling with you, if that's ok?"

The Time Lords just smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Clara knows the truth and things are patched up :) I could see this Evy sort of thinking more Time Lady when it comes to others, especially Clara. She thought that Clara would realize that she'd made the human choice in saving the Star Whale, that she had no reason to fear becoming something so inhuman just because she'd become an alien through it. It backfired, but Clara understands her intention now, understands how the choice seemed to Evy. And Evy understands that she went about it the wrong way in trying to help Clara understand and choose for herself what she wanted to be. She and the Doctor left so that they wouldn't influence Clara to make the 'alien' choice, and in the end she did make the 'human' choice of what was right. It was all to let her know that it really doesn't matter who you are, what species, humanity is a broad concept, something some humans don't have, something some aliens do have. It's just being a good person that makes you 'human' in the end, and so long as Clara remained the big hearted girl with the good and kind spirit, she'd never have to worry about becoming something unrecognizable :)
> 
> Next chapter...will Clara be the Doctor or Evy? Will LJ bite his parents for making him miss the mummy? And...what will a certain someone do when his Link is in danger? ;)


	17. Flatline (Part 1)

Evy glanced up from where she was fiddling with the console and had to laugh when she spotted LJ walking up the stairs with Clara…a bowtie around his neck, "Ooh," she had to put a hand in front of her mouth, especially when LJ stuck his little nose in the air with a huff at her reaction, "How did you manage that one?'

Clara smiled down at the boy, squeezing his hand, "I just told him that the bow-tie made him look rather dapper."

"Dapper!" LJ echoed.

"You know," the Doctor peeked his head out from around the rotor to move to stand beside Evy, "The entire point of getting him into a bow-tie was to be a punishment for biting us, again," he huffed, "Not make him think he looks charming."

Clara just shook her head at them, "Why can't it be both?"

The Doctor just turned to Evy, "YOU should have dressed him."

"He's growing up, Doctor, I can't always pick out what he'll wear," Evy argued, "Especially not since he worked out how to get into the wardrobe," she smiled fondly down at her son for that, he was trying to be a 'big boy' now that he had a big boy bed and wanted to do all the things he thought he should be able to, like dress himself.

She had debated taking pictures of him to send to Martha and Donna and the others for cards, he was adorable in how he got caught in his clothing.

"And besides," she smiled at the Doctor, "As soon as Clara's off, he'll realize it's not quite as dapper as it should be."

"Yes, speaking of," the Doctor moved to the console, "Same time you left," he told Clara, the four of them having finished up their latest adventure and were returning Clara back to her flat, "Same place…ish."

"Ish?" Clara lifted an eyebrow at that, "Don't give me an ish."

But the Doctor's focus was on the controls, "These readings are very er, ishy."

Evy frowned at that and moved to join him, nodding along as she saw what had made him a little distracted, "Very ishy."

"Er, what's going on?" Clara eyed them, "And don't say nothing. We agreed, we talk now. So talk."

"I'm not quite sure we CAN talk," Evy remarked, "We're really not sure what's going on Clara."

"That's a first."

The Doctor turned and headed to the doors to step outside and see what was going on, "And rather bothersome," he muttered, frowning at the doorway.

The two women looked over and moved to join him, quickly realizing why he appeared to be struggling to get out of the TARDIS…the doors had shrunk to only a few feet high, making it difficult to get out unless they squeezed through the doorway.

They were on Earth, they all knew that well enough, but it was certainly not Clara's flat. It looked more like a wasteyard nearby a train system, they could even hear a few trains in the distance. There were tracks beside them, a train shed before them, along with a sign that said 'Bristol Sidings 344.

The Doctor turned to help Evy out and his eyes widened at the state of the TARDIS, "Well, well, I wonder what caused this?" he eyed the box, absently helping her up, LJ of course, having no issue at all getting out of the now smaller TARDIS, one that barely came up to his chest area, "I don't think we're bigger, are we?"

Evy turned to scan him with her sonic, and then the box, "No, it's the TARDIS that's shrunk," she confirmed.

"Bristol?" Clara turned to them, about to huff at the location definitely NOT being even remotely the same-ish as her flat, when she had to laugh at LJ, the boy was running around the TARDIS, cheering and squealing at how it was closer in height to himself even though it was still quite a bit taller.

Evy hummed at Clara's mention though, "120 miles from where we should be," she looked at the Doctor, "That is quite the impressive overshot Doctor, spatially speaking. Not quite Rio and England, but impressive."

"No," Clara shook her head, "Not impressive. Starting to get the tiniest bit annoying actually. How come…" she glanced at LJ, "How come the Captain can manage to get where he wants to go but you can't? Didn't you teach him how to fly?" she eyed the Doctor.

"That would be me," Evy held up a hand.

Clara nodded at that, "That explains it."

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed, "This IS actually rather impressive," he gestured at the TARDIS though, "The TARDIS never does this. This is huge! Well, not literally huge. Slightly smaller than usual. Which is huge…"

"Yes, I get it," Clara deadpanned, "You're excited. When can I go home?"

She was supposed to be meeting the Captain for a walk through town and she was really looking forward to it. They'd agreed to a sort of pattern for their 'dates' and meetings. They'd alternate. One adventure and one calm moment on earth, this time it was a stroll in the moonlight and she wanted to get there before it was moonlight out so that she could get ready.

"Your house isn't going anywhere," the Doctor argued, "And neither is ours until we get this figured out. Could you not just let me enjoy this moment of not knowing something?"

"It is a rather rare occurrence," Evy mused, before sighing and turning to Clara, "We don't know what's happening to the TARDIS, Clara, which means it could very well be dangerous, and we need to figure out what's going on before we can use the TARDIS properly. We don't want to test just how small the box can get before it actually starts to affect us and until we know what's causing it…"

"I know, I know," Clara sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm just…looking forward to some things later," she blushed a bit, the sound of a moonlit stroll sounded so romantic, "How about I take a look around, see if there's not something externally causing this?"

"That would work," the Doctor nodded, moving to head into the TARDIS, squeezing his way past the door.

"LJ," Evy called the boy over, crouching down to take his hands, "Your father and I are going to go in the TARDIS and see if we can't stop her shrinking, but…" she glanced up at Clara and smiled, looking back at her son, "I think that YOU should stay with Clara, help her investigate out here. What do you think?"

"Yes, yes!" he cheered, "Me and Clara!"

"Clara and I," Evy corrected gently, leaning in to kiss his forehead, "You keep her safe, ok?" she winked at him, standing, "Clara…"

"I know," Clara cut in with a small smile, squeezing LJ's hand as he took hers, "I'll keep him safe too, I promise," she crossed her hearts quickly, understanding why Evy wanted LJ out there. It was like they said, they didn't want to know how small the TARDIS could get before it became a danger to those inside it. They wanted LJ out there, safe, but they also knew that, of the four of them, two Time Lords (with all their full Time Lord knowledge) would be better working out a problem than to let her try to help with her still-jumbled head. This way they got some eyes outside, LJ was safe, and they were able to focus without worrying that something might start to harm their son.

"Thank you," Evy gave her a small nod, waiting till Clara had turned to lead LJ off, before she headed into the TARDIS after the Doctor to see him already at the console, examining one of the circuits, "Anything?"

"No," he huffed, setting the circuit down, "From what I can see the TARDIS is in perfect working order…"

And, of course, because the Doctor had said it, alarms started to sound as the box jolted.

He winced, "That wasn't me, was it?"

Evy let out a breath, shaking her head in amusement, and moved to the doors to check outside once more…only to frown as she came face to face with a very, VERY small door, "Well…I was not expecting that quite so quickly."

~8~

Clara smiled down at LJ as they walked on, feeling quite…relieved and very touched that this was even happening. After the mess she, well both she and Evy, had made of the moon, more so how she'd blown up at the Time Lords, she was so incredibly relieved that Evy still trusted her with LJ, that she still had good faith in her like that, to let her take LJ for the moment and watch over him. It really meant a lot to her that both she and the Doctor still felt they could rely on her even after she'd nearly walked out on them.

Looking down at LJ now, she had to also be thankful that Evy had handled her reaction the way she had. She had no idea how the woman remained so calm, though she had an inkling that it came from handling the Doctor's outrageous reactions and LJ's antics, but…she was grateful for it. Evy had taken her to sit down and talk about it, like two reasonable and rational adults instead of letting it end up a shouting and bickering match between teenagers or something. She could admit she'd acted a bit like one, shouting and jumping to conclusions and letting other people get in her head. She had acted rashly, and yes, she'd been hurt at the time, but she should have listened, she shouldn't have been as self absorbed as she was nor should she have assumed anything about the Time Lords or Evy's intentions. She knew better than most that what things appeared to be were rarely ever what they were.

She'd just been thrown off by Danny's words, her own fears, how she actually COULD tell she was changing in how she looked at situations and thought things through. She'd been off her game and had been looking for any reason to shout at them, to leave them without feeling guilty. But it hadn't worked, she'd still felt guilty. But she would learn from this, she would take a leaf out of Evy's book next time and try to be calm, be…mature about it, be rational and think something through before jumping at someone like she had.

In this case…being a Time Lady would have to dictate how she handled situations. Evy had…so much patience, from dealing with the Doctor, with LJ, being an adviser to a president, just living her life for centuries. She needed to be calm and rational and that was what SHE wanted to be too. She never ever wanted what had happened between them all after the moon to happen again. So she wouldn't let it.

"Bad," LJ muttered, shaking her from her thoughts.

Clara looked up, trying to see what he thought was bad as they headed down a set of steps towards an underpass, but there was nothing there. Just some paintings lining the walls of the underpass with what looked like a row of people standing there with their backs to the pass, "What is?"

"Those!" LJ pointed at the pictures, "Mummy says no. Drawing on walls bad!"

Clara had to laugh at that, "Yeah, here we call it graffiti," she told the boy, "And it can make some people as cross as your mother when it happens."

"Cheer up, love!" a man called out to her, wearing a jacket that had a '55' sewn onto it, "Might never happen!"

"Have some respect," another man, an Indian man, in a '22' jacket frowned at 55, "She's grieving!"

"Oh, sorry, love," he tipped his head to a rather confused Clara, "I didn't mean nothing by it."

Clara gave the man an odd look and a nod, walking past them, her eyes drawn to the portraits LJ had pointed out, when she heard someone running after her and looked back.

A young black boy gave her an apologetic smile as he jogged to a halt, "Sorry about them," he offered, "They're idiots."

"Pudding brain!" LJ cheered at the word, making Clara laugh.

"That's alright," Clara shrugged at the man, "Don't worry. I've heard worse."

"I've lost someone, too," the man offered, nodding to the wall, "My Aunt Karina. Deaf as a post. Didn't really know her that well but she's still gone," he moved over to look at what appeared to be a small woman in a yellow coat, before turning to face her, "Is your one in the mural?"

"Oh, no," Clara blinked, now understanding what this was, a sort of remembrance mural, "I haven't actually…"

"I'm sure they'll get round to it at some point," he tried to reassure her, "I'm not really with that lot out there," he shrugged at the other cleanup workers, "I just have to do this community service thing. I just do graffiti."

"Bad!" LJ cut in, "No drawing on walls!"

The man chuckled at that, "Yeah, my mum says that too. Hasn't quite stuck yet," he looked at Clara, "I mean, I don't do anything bad, nothing a kid can't see, nothing, you know, murdery or…"

Clara shook her head, gently interrupting, "What's all this about?" she gestured to the portraits, "What's happened to all these people?"

The man frowned, seeming confused, "You mean you don't know?"

"That would be why I'm asking," Clara smiled, "What happened?"

~8~

Evy looked up as the phone on the console began to ring and moved over to it, flicking her sonic on to connect it to the speakers of the room, not wanting to have to walk around with the phone pressed to her ear as she helped the Doctor try and work out if there was some glitch in the TARDIS causing it to keep shrinking, "Clara?"

"Hey," Clara answered, "I think LJ and I have found something. People are missing all over the estate. Do you think there's a connection?"

"Could be," the Doctor called, examining two wires as Evy ran a scan of the ship on the monitor.

"And…where are you?"

Evy sighed, "Same place."

"No, you're not. We're both here and we can't see…"

"Clara!" they could hear LJ call, "Lookie!"

"Oh…"

They knew the instant Clara found, what they were sure was, a miniature version of the TARDIS outside by how she started to laugh. They'd been monitoring the door, which was now more like a very small slot in the wall. It had been getting smaller and smaller nearly each time they looked over at it. The TARDIS had to be about half a foot high if the doors were anything to go by, they were barely three inches, perhaps four at the moment.

"Yes," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh."

"Oh, my God, that is so adorable!" Clara teased, "Are you in there?"

"Yes, I'm afraid we are," Evy told her.

"And, no, it's not adorable!" the Doctor added, "It's very, very serious."

"So far we aren't feeling any effects of it," Evy remarked, "The only thing that's different here is the door being smaller, but other than that the room looks and feels the same as always.

"So is this more shrink ray stuff?" Clara inquired, "Are you tiny in there?"

"Take a guess Clara," Evy smiled, "Do you think a TARDIS's internal shell would shrink us too or…"

"Oh my god you're the same size aren't you?" Clara cut in, working it out, "The exterior dimensions are the ones that changed, not the interior. Oh this is brilliant," she laughed.

The Doctor moved over to the little door in the wall and opened it, making Clara gasp to see his full sized head staring back at her through the doors, "Stop laughing. This is serious!"

"Daddy," LJ smiled, seeing his father.

"Yes, hello boyo," the Doctor wiggled a few fingers through the door at his son as Evy walked over to him, pressing her head beside his so they could both look out…

Which just made Clara laugh more, till the Doctor glared at her, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she tried to kill the chuckles, "I can't help it, can I, with you and your big old face. How are you going to get out?"

"We can't at the moment," Evy sighed, "Not even with our spatial shifters."

The Doctor nodded, "Something nearby is leeching all the external dimensions. The internals are fine, you could teleport IN, but you can't get out. Which is really quite frustrating."

"Bad aliens?" LJ frowned, guessing what might be doing it.

"We don't know," the Doctor tried to reassure them, all of them, really, because if it WAS bad aliens…then LJ and Clara were out here and in danger. Well, Clara was. LJ still had his own spatial shifter that Evy had rigged up, in the worst case, Clara could trigger it and send him to the TARDIS, but Clara would still be out there.

"The sensors are down at the moment," Evy sighed, "So we can't be sure. We can't even risk trying to pilot the TARDIS off like this. If we do there might be a chance she won't come back."

Clara nodded, "What do you need me to do?"

"Pick up the TARDIS," the Doctor instructed her, "Carefully!" he added, though his voice softened when he realized it was LJ that had scooped them up, "Carefully, boyo. There we go."

"Did you adjust the gravity?" Clara blinked at that, knowing that a TARDIS was relatively heavy, something niggled in her head telling her that the boxes were normally set to be lighter, that their true weight would fracture the earth's surface if it landed without any of the small anti-gravs on to help ease it.

"A bit more than normal, yeah," Evy nodded.

"Got it," Clara shifted LJ over to her, crouching down more so he could stand between her legs and let her see the Time Lords over his shoulder, "What now?"

"I managed to narrow down where the dimensional leeching might be coming from," Evy told her, "It's northwest from where we are now…"

"That way," the Doctor stuck his fingers through the box to point and help.

"Please don't do that," Clara tried to be serious, but it was just too amusing to see LJ grab his father's fingers and tug at them, keeping the man from pulling them back into the box.

"You may need this…" the Doctor used his other hand to slip a small wallet through the opening, distracting LJ enough to let go of his fingers as the boy grabbed for it.

"Sidekick paper!" LJ cheered, opening the wallet to see the paper in it.

"Psychic," Clara and Evy corrected gently, Clara reaching out to take it, "Well look at this," she smiled at them, "This is an honor. Does this mean I'm you now?" she teased, more to the Doctor than Evy, she'd made such a bit to-do that she was becoming too much like a Time Lady and now she was teasing about being the Time Lord.

It felt good to be able to tease, to talk lighter about it, had to mean they were moving on from it all, right?

"No, it does not," the Doctor stated, "So don't get any ideas. If there is going to be another Doctor running around out there, it'll be him, not you," he almost poked his finger out the TARDIS doors to point at LJ when he thought better of it, "Take this too," he held out a small chip-looking object, "Stick that in your ear and you'll be able to hear us."

Clara nodded, doing that, "Ok, now wh…ow!" she winced, pressing a hand to her ear, "What was that?!"

"Nanotech. It automatically hacks your optic nerve…"

"So you can see what I see," Clara finished.

"I liked you better as a human," the Doctor muttered so only Clara could hear him, making her roll her eyes at how he was cross she was 'stealing his thunder.'

"Clara, you may need this too," Evy nudged him just a bit so she could push something out of the doors and to Clara also.

"Sonic," Clara nodded, taking the offered screwdriver…only to blink as she got a good look at it, "Wait…whose is this?" she frowned, examining it, it didn't have the light blue end of Evy's sonic, it didn't look a thing like the Doctor's…

"It's yours," Evy told her, her face now the only one in the doorway as the Doctor moved to the console to make sure the hack had stuck with Clara and that the audio feed was open.

Clara's eyes widened, "Mine?"

"I had the TARDIS make you one," she told her, "You can customize it however you like I just thought you would like the red light and…"

"It's perfect," Clara cut in, looking at the sleek metal wand, it looked like Evy's but a bit smaller, with a red light on the end, simple but classic, "Thank you."

"It's about time you got one," Evy shrugged, "Give it a try."

Clara nodded, standing as LJ watched, the boy turning the TARDIS to cuddle it in his arms. The Time Lords moved to the monitor to watch, hearing Clara take a breath and flick her sonic on, LJ cheering as it made the familiar whirring noise. The image shifted quickly as Clara turned in a circle to scan the area.

"Brilliant," she breathed, before shaking her head, "Anything?"

"Yes, we're dizzy," the Doctor remarked, though there was a chuckle behind his words at how in awe Clara sounded of her sonic, "But nothing useful."

"You never did tell me your name," they heard another voice call, Clara looking up as the black worker walked over to her.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "No time to fraternize. Come on, get rid of him."

"I'm er…" Clara hesitated, "I'm…the Doctor."

"Don't you dare!" the Doctor cried even as Evy burst out laughing beside him.

"Doctor Oswald," Clara continued, ignoring him, "But you can call me Clara."

"Oi!" the Doctor frowned at Evy, the woman literally holding onto the side of the console as she laughed, pointing at his face, his expression just hilarious, "Stop it!"

"I'm Rigsy," the black worker offered, shaking Clara's hand.

"I'm LJ!" LJ cut in, reaching up, almost hopping to take Rigsy's hand away from Clara to shake himself.

"So er, what are you a doctor of?" Rigsy shuffled.

"Of lies!" the Doctor called.

That just made Evy laugh harder, pointing at him as he glared at her.

"Well, I'm usually quite vague about that," Clara remarked, Evy nodding and pointing at the monitor with a knowing look at the Doctor, causing him to roll his eyes at her, "I think I just picked the title because it makes me sound important."

"Why, Doctor Oswald, you are hilarious," he muttered.

"She really is," Evy wiped below her eye as a tear escaped her and walked over to him, patting his chest, "Though she's not wrong, it DOES make you sound as important as you are," she leaned in to kiss his cheek, making him smile.

"What are you exactly?" Rigsy asked, "You don't smell like police but that's some pretty cool gear you got there," the man was gesturing at her now, "You like a spy, or something?"

"Oh, he's a bright one," the Doctor scoffed, "Hang on to him."

"Is he the one that told you about the disappearances, Clara?" Evy called.

"Yes," Clara answered.

"What, you're really a spy?" Rigsy's eyes widened, not realizing she was answering Evy and not himself.

"I mean, no, no, I was…I mean, yes, I'm not police."

"Ask him where the first or last disappearances happened then," Evy offered, "It's always best to start at the beginning or the end."

~8~

Clara carried LJ in her arms, the boy still firmly holding onto the TARDIS, as they crossed into an abandoned flat, Rigsy tearing down the police tape that was crossed before the doorway so they wouldn't have to duck under it. With it being a crime scene she didn't want to risk letting LJ down in there incase he touched something he shouldn't.

"He was the last one to go missing," Rigsy informed Clara, "And when he disappeared all the doors and windows were locked from the inside."

"Ooh, now you're talking," Clara rolled her eyes at the excitement in the Doctor's voice as it rang in her ear, "I love a good locked room mystery."

"You love any mystery," Evy countered to him as Clara looked around, spotting a mural on the wall behind a bookcase of CDs that looked like a sky view of a cracked desert land.

"As does LJ."

"Doesn't everyone?" Clara mused, not realizing she'd spoken out loud till Rigsy turned to her.

"What?"

"Huh?" her eyes widened, "Oh, sorry. I'm talking to somebody else," she shifted LJ slightly to point at her ear, moving her hair back to show Rigsy the ear piece, "They're listening in. Doctor, Evy," she called out, "Rigsy," she nodded at him, "Rigsy, the Doctor and Evy. Um…LJ's parents," she added for reference.

"Hello, barely sentient local," the Doctor greeted though Rigsy couldn't hear them.

"Another Doctor?" Rigsy tilted his head.

"How do you sleep at night?"

"Clara, ask him about the missing people," Evy instructed, "We need to find a connection between them and the TARDIS shrinking, there HAS to be one."

Clara nodded and pulled her sonic from her pocket, moving around the room to scan things, "What can you tell me about the missing people, Rigsy?"

"Oh plenty," Rigsy began, "And I'm really grateful you're doing this. I think this is great that _someone's_ finally looking into this. The police weren't doing anything. They never do on this estate. People were thinking that no one was listening. That no one cared. So, yeah. I think it's great what you're doing…"

"Clara, look, I think that we can manage on our own from now on," the Doctor huffed in her ear.

"Yeah, well, I think he could still be useful," Clara murmured to him.

"He's a pudding brain! Worse than that, he's a fluorescent pudding brain!"

"Just try and keep him focused, Clara," Evy called, "The Doctor gets frustrated when the people that might have the answers withhold the information from him."

"Ok, right," Clara nodded, "Rigsy, the missing people, you know where they lived?"

"He could still be in the room," Rigsy looked around.

Clara blinked at that, but it was LJ who spoke, "Huh?"

"Sorry, nothing," Rigsy shifted, "I was just thinking out loud. It's like one of those locked room things you get in books. It's always something weird, like, he's still in the room or something. Do you want to go and check out another flat?"

"Do you know," the Doctor mused, "I think that you were wrong about this lad. I think that he could be very useful. Vital local knowledge."

Clara rolled her eyes at that.

"Oh, you think CLARA was wrong?" she could almost hear the smirk in Evy's words.

"Yes," he answered, missing the implication, "He could be useful, Clara, so try not to scare him off."

Clara scoffed at that, "How would _I_ scare him off?"

"Maybe he's lost in the desert, or something," Rigsy offered, making Clara look over to see him examining the desert mural.

Clara let out a breath, looking around, "I feel like we're missing something here," she murmured, "Missing man, locked room, shrink ray…"

"Sorry," Rigsy turned to her, "Did you say just say shrink ray?"

"What if he _is_ still in this room like you said, only tiny?" Clara thought it through, "You know, like underneath the sofa or something!"

"Silly Clara," LJ shook his head, giggling, but yawning slightly as he leaned his head on her shoulder to rest.

"Clara, this is the scaring off that we were talking about," the Doctor warned.

"Says the man who invented scaring people off," Evy commented.

"Oi, they always came WITH me in the end."

"Ok," Rigsy eyed her oddly, "So er, my lunch break's nearly up. This…this has been er, interesting?"

"Clara, local knowledge is leaving!" the Doctor called as Rigsy turned to go, "Do something!"

"Tell him the truth!" Evy added.

"What?" both the Doctor and Clara spoke, startled.

"He's going to think you're completely mad unless you show him the TARDIS," Evy explained quickly as Rigsy hesitated to go, "Madman with a box, you need to show the box or else you're just a madman…madwoman."

"Right," Clara nodded, that made sense, "LJ, sweetheart," she gently bounced the boy who picked his head up, yawning a little, "How about we show the nice man your parents, yes?" she asked him, "Come on, can I borrow the TARDIS for a moment?" LJ pouted but gave the box up to Clara, allowing her to set it down on a table, "Rigsy, come here. Meet the Doctor and Evy," she stepped back as the doors to the box opened and the Doctor and Evy peered out from it, both standing a little further back so they could see both their heads instead of half, "So…" she eyed Rigsy, the man gaping at the box with wide eyes, "What do you think? Tiny man idea?"

"Yes, it's a lovely thought," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "But the sonic would scan for that as soon as you started to consider it and it didn't beep."

"It's bigger…" Rigsy breathed, getting close to the TARDIS, crouching before it to look at it closely, "On the inside!" he gasped, seeing the inside of the box.

"Do you know, I don't think that statement's ever been truer," the Doctor muttered.

"What are you?" Rigsy backed away, eyeing them, "Like, aliens, or something?"

"Yes!" LJ cheered, clapping, not quite sure why they shouldn't exactly tell humans they were aliens just yet.

"Sorry," Clara added, "We're…"

She was cut off suddenly by a sort of sizzling noise that was filling the room, looking to the TARDIS as an alarm began to ring out from it, "What is that?"

Evy disappeared from the TARDIS doorway, but her voice called out, "We've just had a massive energy drain from inside the TARDIS!"

"What did it?" Clara looked around, starting to scan again, trying to find the source of it, but there was nothing.

"We don't know," the Doctor looked back out, "But that's the least of our problems. Just get us out of there," he reached out and shut the doors closed, trying to keep whatever had managed to drain the energy from inside the TARDIS from continuing to do so.

"Ok," Clara reached out and picked up the box, handing it to LJ, "You hold onto that for me, ok, LJ?" he nodded, "Rigsy, go," she strode for him, turning him and nudging him towards the doors, "This is where we run. Stick with me!" she led him out of the flat.

"Oh this is just embarrassing," she could hear the Doctor lamenting, "We're from the race that built the TARDIS. Dimensions are kind of our thing. So why can't we work out what this is?"

"We need more information," Evy sighed, "Clara, we need to go to the other areas that disappearances happened. There has to be some sort of common disturbance there, some sort of lingering energy that we can pick up. Can you do that?"

Clara nodded, "On it!"

~8~

The Doctor and Evy were hurrying around the console, running a different sort of scan from Clara's sonic after a thought had struck the Doctor about what might be taking the people. Evy glanced at the monitor, keeping tabs on Clara who was standing before a policewoman in the middle of a Mr. Heath's home with Rigsy behind her, the woman looking at the psychic paper with a disbelieving expression on her face, "MI5?"

"Yes," Clara nodded.

"MI5…with a baby?" she raised an eyebrow at LJ nestled in Clara's arms, seeming to be nodding off.

"He's a toddler, actually, and…part of my cover," Clara said quickly, "That's not important at the moment though, what IS important is that this case has got our attention."

"Well, you've come to the right place, ma'am," the policewoman handed the paper back to Clara, "First reported disappearance, a Mr. Heath. It's not on the estate, but it's exactly the same MO as the rest…"

"Clara," the Doctor moved to a small microphone, speaking more quietly in her ear this time, "I think that your shrink ray theory was wrong."

"My shrink ray theory?" Clara murmured back to them, turning slightly so the policewoman wouldn't realize she was talking to no one, "I thought you two were already scanning for that."

"It just struck me. Locked room mysteries. Classic solution number one, they're still in the room. Classic solution number two, they're in the walls!" he tossed a rather large hammer to Evy who hurried over to the doors to get it out of them while the doorway was still big enough.

"What do you mean, they're in the…" she winced as something hit her in the shoulder, "Ow," she muttered, looking down to see there was a hammer sticking out of the TARDIS doors as the box rested in LJ's tired hands.

"Sorry!" Evy hissed up to her, letting Clara pull the hammer out before she ran back to the console, to the Doctor's side to observe.

"Apparently," Clara was saying, cutting off the policewoman that was still talking and had been since Clara got there, "They're in the walls," she handed Rigsy the hammer, the boy hesitating but turning to one of the walls and pounding it with the hammer, starting to chip away at it when the policewoman's phone rang.

"PC Forrest," she answered quickly, "Yes, sir. MI5, sir…" Clara glanced over as the woman left the room.

"So, you and those two in the box," Rigsy remarked, hammering, LJ blocking the view just a bit as he lifted his head, "You do this sort of stuff a lot?"

"Oh, well, they're usually out of the box," Clara laughed, "But, yep."

"So how'd you get this gig? You study science, or aliens, or something?"

"No. Well, it's kind of a more of a right place, right time if Evy's heading things up or wrong place, wrong time depending on how the Doctor's behaving. Bit of both sometimes."

"Clara, we can hear you, you know," the Doctor muttered dryly…when a scream echoed through the room, coming from Clara's earpiece.

Clara and Rigsy were off, running through the house and into another room…only to see the policewoman, Forrest, nowhere in sight.

"PC Forrest?" Clara slowly entered the room, "Hello? Hello?"

"Clara look down," Evy called, catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of Clara's eye, and there it was…a torch lying in the middle of the carpet.

"Look up a mo?" the Doctor frowned, leaning in to the monitor to see the wall, Clara turning slowly to observe the room, but it was the wall he was interested in, there was a mural on it that looked like a series of wiggling red lines branching out from a long central one, appearing symmetrical along the line.

"She's gone," Clara murmured.

"What are we missing?" the Doctor huffed, shaking his head.

"The TARDIS isn't picking up anything," Evy scanned once more, "Everything in the known universe she should be able to detect…"

"The known universe," the Doctor repeated, " _This_ universe. Clara, wait, go back," he shouted, "That mural…" Clara moved closer to it, "Do you see what I see?" he looked between Evy and the monitor.

"That's the human nervous system!" Evy gasped, realizing what he'd seen.

He nodded, "Scaled up and flattened. I think we've found PC Forrest. What's left of her, at least."

"Her nervous system?" the disgust was clear in Clara's voice at that.

"Then the other mural," Evy quickly brought up a rewound image of the one from the last house, "It's not a mural either…" she squinted, observing it, "It's a scaled up version of human skin!"

"What?" Clara cried, "Why!?"

"Whatever they are, they are experimenting," the Doctor warned her, "They're testing. They are, they are dissecting."

"Like Skaldak," Clara realized, "He was trying to understand us, understand our weaknesses…"

"I think this one is more trying to understand three dimensions," Evy remarked…

When the sizzling noise began to sound again.

"Ow!" Rigsy cried, causing Clara to turn to him, seeing him trying to get out of the room but the door was shut and the handle was...gone, "The handle!"

Clara hurried over to it, peering at it closely for the Time Lords to see it seemed like it had sunk right into the door, "The handle, they've flattened the handle."

"Clara you need to get out of there," Evy told her, reaching out to grab the Doctor's hand as they saw their son's hand reach out to touch the flat handle.

Clara nodded and stepped back, turning to look for a way out…when she gasped, "They're in the walls!" she cried, seeing a rippling start to happen in them.

"Don't let them touch you," Evy called, if the nervous system and the skin cell were in the walls, it could only mean that they were sucked into them.

Clara tried to run for the window on the opposite side of the room, when the sofa before them and the cushions on it began to wibble also.

"What happens if they touch us?" Rigsy asked.

"I really don't want to find out," Clara shouted, reaching out to grab Rigsy and pull him over to a chair that was hanging from the ceiling, suspended over the floor which had also started to wibble.

"Oh LJ," Clara muttered as the boy started to perk awake, laughing and clapping at the danger around him, when her mobile rang, "Seriously?" she huffed, pulling it out.

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted, seeing her actually answering instead of getting them out of there.

"Clara!" a voice echoed into the room, the Time Lords' eyes widening as they recognized their son's voice, their grown son, the Captain, "How are you? You excited for our stroll tonight?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, very excited," Clara frantically looked around, "Really, nice calm stroll, just what I need…"

"everything alright Clar?"

"Clara, the window!" Evy shouted, seeing that the wibble hadn't reached it or affected it yet, "Get out through the window!"

"Got it!" Clara called, she and Rigsy starting to rock the chair towards it.

"Look!" Rigsy gasped, pointing up, "Look! They're climbing the walls."

And indeed the wibble was starting to go up, towards the ceiling…towards the chain and setting for the hanging chair.

"Brilliant," Clara groused, starting to rock the chair more, swinging it as best she could till Rigsy realized what she was doing and helped.

"Who was that?" the Captain asked, "Doesn't sound like Danny…"

"Danny and I are currently not speaking," Clara admitted to him, "It's Rigsy."

"Rigsy?"

"A guy on community support and I'm helping him try to save his auntie…"

The Captain was silent at that, "Rigsy," he repeated, as though the name meant something, "Clara are…are you dealing with the Boneless right now?"

"The what?"

"It's nearly there!" Rigsy shouted, pointing up at the ceiling as the wibble reached the chair.

"Clara!" the Captain yelled.

Clara pulled out her sonic and flicked it at the ceiling, snapping the chain just as the chair rocked towards the window, sending them both flying towards it with a scream, Clara turning to shield LJ as they flew out the window and rolled onto the grass outside.

Clara sat up with a gasp, checking LJ…nearly rolling her eyes at how the boy was bouncing in her lap, completely amused, "Again! Again!"

"Not on your life," Clara shook her head, pushing herself up, Rigsy hurrying to help her stand. The Time Lords could see her looking down at her mobile lying on the grass, the call having disconnected and winced…even they could tell their son would NOT be happy about this later…

~8~

"This explains everything!" the Doctor shouted in Clara's ear as she walked with Rigsy back towards the underpass, LJ walking beside her, his hand in hers, the TARDIS tucked under his other arm, "They're from a universe with only two dimensions. And, yes, that _is_ a thing. It's long been theorized, of course, but no one could go there and prove its existence without a heck of a diet."

"Thank you, Clara," Evy cut into his rambling, "For taking care of LJ. For keeping him safe."

"With my life," Clara murmured, "Always. He's safe with me," she smiled down at the boy, giving his hand a little squeeze…when she winced, a static starting in her ear, "Ah…I think you're breaking up a bit."

"Sorry," Evy sighed, "It seems the frequency of the shattering glass affected the earpiece…if you take it out and scan it you should be fine."

Clara nodded, stopping a moment to pull the earpiece out and sonic it with her own sonic (she couldn't help but smile at that), putting it back in her ear quickly, "Better?"

"Is it?" Evy tested.

She nodded, "Much, thanks!"

"Hey!" Clara looked over at Rigsy's shout to see him hurrying to the underpass where his fellow workers were starting to paint over the murals along the walls, "They can't do that. Hey! What you doing?"

A rather old, rather grouchy looking man turned to him with a sneer, "Our job. You're on report, by the way. Late back from lunch."

"It's a memorial!" Rigsy defended as Clara and LJ joined him.

"Council didn't approve it, it's graffiti. Stan," the man turned to another worker who shoved a paintbrush into Rigsy's hands.

"Clara!"

Clara gasped, spinning around at the familiar voice that had shouted out for her, her eyes widening as she saw the Captain, the older LJ, jogging towards her from the end of the underpass, dressed in a simple red jumper and black trousers, "Cap'n?"

"Hello Clar," he smiled at her.

"What…what are you doing here?"

"The last thing I heard before the call cut was you screaming," he told her, his smile falling to a frown so quickly she felt like she must have blinked and missed its transition, "I had to make sure you were alright."

She wanted to hug him for that, kiss him for his concern…but there was a small pressure on her hand, a smaller hand in hers that reminded her she couldn't, "I'm fine," she reassured him, "We BOTH are," she nodded at LJ incase the man hadn't noticed his younger self standing there.

"I'm glad," he smiled at her, glancing at LJ before crouching down, "Hey there Mini-Me!"

"'lo," LJ greeted, "Big-Me!"

The Captain chuckled at that but looked up when Clara spoke in his mind, ' _You should go._ '

He shook his head and stood, ' _Not a chance,_ ' he told her, ' _I remember this trip, I remember the Boneless and how much danger they'll put you in. I'm not going to let you go through that alone._ '

' _The Boneless?_ '

He nodded at that, focusing instead on her eyes, "Hello mum, dad."

"Hello Sigma," she heard them respond in her ear.

"They say hello."  
 **  
**"As much as I'd love to pop in and catch up with them, we need to stop them painting over the murals and get them out of here."

Maybe it would keep the danger from happening if they did. He knew it wasn't the best to try and alter time, especially not when it already happened for him, but…this was Clara, this was his Link, and if there was even the possibility that he could keep the danger from happening, he would take it.

"The mural…" the Doctor murmured, before gasping, "Clara, it's the mural! Over there, look, the mural! We've found the missing people, they're in the walls!"

Clara grew serious, "What do we do?"

"Be calm," Evy called, "You need to get everyone as far away from there as possible."

The Captain looked at Clara, mouthing 'evacuate?' to her, which she nodded. So he spun on his heel and moved over to Rigsy, draping an arm casually across the startled man's shoulders, "These paintings! They're rather brilliant aren't they? Any idea who did them?"

"I don't know," Rigsy shrugged as the Captain started to lead him off towards the end of the underpass, about to shake the man off but he seemed to know Clara so he allowed it, "A local artist. Probably a grieving relative."

"Did you ever meet them?" Clara turned to the other men to try and get them moving too, "Or did they just appear after people disappeared?"

The grouchy old man sighed as he faced her, "And who are you when you're at home, love?"

"Clara!" LJ called, answering the question, but making the Captain pause and turn to look at her as she offered the man the psychic paper.

"Health and safety," she began, throwing a glare at the Captain when he let out a snorting laugh at that, likely thinking of the times his parents used the same excuse.

"She's safety," he offered, walking over, "I'm health."

This time it was Clara that snorted, he WOULD be wouldn't he? The Doctor's son?

"Regardless, comes down to it being that this subway is unsafe. You lot need to evacuate from here, right now."

"This is blank," the old man glared, nearly tossing the paper back at Clara, "Try again."

Clara blinked at that, "What?" and looked to the Captain for an explanation.

"Well…" he examined the paper, "He's either very clever…or very dull," he eyed the man, "I'd go with the second."

"Stan," the man turned to one of the workers that stopped to watch them, "Do your job."

"Clara, stop him!" the Doctor yelled in her ear.

She reached forward to do that, to try and stop the man, but the Captain pulled her back for, just as Stan's paintbrush touched the mural, he was sucked into the wall with a shout.

"Stan!" Rigsy gasped, spinning around as he saw the images shifting, the wall wibbling like in the flats, the portraits turning, moving on their own to face them.

"What is this?" one of the other men cried, "What are they?!"

"They're using the images of the dead to shift themselves," Evy warned, "Clara you need to go!"

"Forget your friend," the Captain stepped up as Clara hefted his younger self into her arms, "I'm sorry, but he's gone, and we will be too if we don't get out of here!"

"Clara, move!" the Doctor yelled, "Go! Go!"

"We need to move," she reached out and grabbed Rigsy's arm, shoving him ahead of her to run, "Now!"

The Captain ran just behind her, the portraits no long her just turning but sliding down the wall, sinking into the ground…and chasing right after them as they fled.

The hunt had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Captain! Yay! :) I'm going to try to do a thing where, at least 1 episode we get the Captain Linked, and another we get UnLinked J around Clara for as long as she's around in the main series :) Sometimes it may be, depending if River is there, a Linked Captain in one episode and JUST River in another :) I just want to keep their son popping up at least once per story, maybe even with Jenny or, later, Clara here and there ;)
> 
> But also, yay! Clara's got her own sonic now! :)
> 
> Next chapter...what's the safest place for a toddler to be when there's danger on both ends? Where exactly IS the Captain in his timeline? Will someone's thunder be stolen?


	18. Flatline (Part 2)

Evy stared at the monitor, her hand tightly gripping the Doctor's as they watched Clara running with LJ in her arms, glancing at each other before focusing on the footage once more, able to see their grown son in the corner of Clara's eye as they ducked into a train shed. The Captain slammed the doors behind him, while Clara beat him to pulling out her sonic and flashing the door to lock it.

"You've got a sonic?" the Captain blinked at her.

"Gift from your parents," Clara nodded, pushing him lightly on the chest to run after the others, the small group stopping at the end of the shed, just under a pole with speakers at the top to catch their breath. She gently set LJ down and looked around, the Time Lords noting the exits and useful objects lying about.

"Did they follow us?" one of the men gasped, "Cos I didn't see them follow us. Are we safe?"

"Are we really hiding from killer graffiti?" another scoffed, "This is insane!"

"Yes, it is," the Captain stated, making Clara look at him, "And it's about to get…"

"Don't say it," Evy closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"More insanerer," the Captain finished, causing his parents to chuckle a bit at how like his father's last self he sounded, "And they're the Boneless, not the 'Killer Graffiti.'"

"Are they?" the Doctor asked Clara.

Clara leaned over and whispered to him, "That's what they're called?"

The Captain shrugged, "That's what dad called them last time, I'm just trying to maintain the time stream. Ish."

This time it was the Doctor who chuckled at that, he sounded like HIM too.

"Whatever they're called did you see what they did?!" the first man shouted, "Stan's one of them now. Flattened, dead, but coming after us!"

"Clara," Evy leaned forward to the microphone, "You need to keep them freaking out, and establish either you or the Captain as the alpha of the group."

"You mean take charge?" Clara muttered under her breath.

"You could do that too," the Doctor shrugged.

"What's important is that you or him become the leader," Evy continued, "They're scared and they're going to start fighting soon if no one steps up. One of you HAS to step up."

"Humans can be…testy and dangerous when they're scared, trust us, we've experienced it more times than we care to remember. Calm is imperative, order, and authority."

"Got it," Clara nodded, looking around at the men, catching the Captain's eye a moment, seeming to share something with him, likely telepathically, before he grinned and stepped to the side, half bowing as he gestured her on to take charge.

They expected the eye roll Clara gave after that.

"George!" Clara stepped up to the first man, the one that seemed to be more fearful they hadn't escaped the Boneless than that one of his friends had joined them, "George, isn't it? Can you watch that area?" she pointed a little ahead, "If you hear anything, anything moves, you shout, ok?"

"He will do no such thing until I get some answers!" the old grouchy man stepped into Clara's vision, grabbing George by the back of his shirt to keep him doing as ordered, "Who are you?" he eyed Clara and the Captain, "That's what I want to know. Impersonating a government official. Trespassing on council property…"

"Really?" the Captain sighed, "The council property? Always the council with you humans…"

"Fine, you want answers," Clara stepped right up to him, so close they could see the reflection of her in the man's eyes, she certainly looked authoritative, "I'll tell you who we are. WE," she gestured between herself and the Captain, just because she was in charge didn't mean she wasn't going to share credit and responsibility with her Link, "Are the one chance you've got of staying alive. That's who we are."

"Brilliantly done Clar," they could hear the Captain whisper in her ear as the old man backed down and turned away.

Clara nodded and shooed George on, sending him just a short distance ahead of them where a clearer sight of the doors was to keep watch.

"Billiant Clara!" LJ cheered as well, making her look down at the boy.

"We really do need to work on his pronunciation," the Doctor remarked absently, squeezing Evy's hand as her grip finally relaxed now that their son was safe for the moment.

"He's barely 2!" Evy argued, "And with how much YOU talk," she shot him a playful look, "It's a wonder he even gets a chance to have a word in. And besides, I didn't start to talk at all till I was nearly 3."

The Doctor had to smile at that, he knew that from the Link…and he blamed the Master for it, but in a…kinder sense than normal blame. When Evy had been growing older, her brother had doted on her, was always there for her. If she ever wanted something, all she had to do was make a noise and point and the boy would go get it for her instantly. Which meant she hadn't had to verbalize what she wanted or felt. She had eventually learned to speak, but it took her a while as she hadn't had the NEED for it with him around.

It was…sweet.

He had to wonder if LJ would be the same if they had a daughter or another son.

"I'd rather not find out," Evy murmured to him, squeezing his hand back, "He's a handful on his own, I don't think I could survive three of you around," she nudged him playfully at that.

"I wouldn't mind evening out with a little you," he remarked.

"Maybe one day," Evy shrugged. They weren't NOT trying to have children, but they also weren't trying TO have them. They had decided to do what they had when LJ had been conceived, just let what would happen happen. If they had children, then they would cross that bridge, if they didn't then they didn't. LJ was more than enough for both of them at the moment.

"Rigsy!" Clara called, pulling their attention back as she approached the young man, "How well do you know this area? Do you know where that door leads?"

"It's the old Brunswick line," Rigsy glanced over at the door, "But it's not safe."

"Well, there's safe and there's safe," the Captain inhaled loudly, "Safe is relative. Safe through there," he nodded at the door, "While unsafe, could be safer than safe in here."

Rigsy gave him a look that clearly said he'd made no sense at all to him, but answered, more firm yet slowly than before, "Yeah, I know it. I used to go down there all the time."

"Yeah, I'll bet you did," the old man sneered, "Painting your filth."

"Clara?" Evy called, "Could you slap him for me please?"

Clara chuckled at that, "You know, you might be glad he did," she told the man instead, "Those things come in here, that is our only way out," she glanced down at LJ and then over at the Captain, speaking quietly though so they could hear her but no one else, "I just hope we can keep them all alive…"

"Oh come on Clar," the Captain smiled, "The two of us, plus mum and dad…"

"Oi!" LJ huffed.

The Captain chuckled, "And Mini-Me here of course, we will…give it our best go," he offered a smile at Clara and they could tell he hadn't wanted to lie to her and say no one else would die, but he wanted her to know they would TRY, they'd try their very best.

Clara sighed at that but nodded, "I'm going to have to lie to them, aren't I?" she murmured, "Give them hope. Tell them they're all going to be fine."

"In times like this, Clara," Evy told her, glancing at the Doctor as he brought up images on the scanner of the last two places Clara had visited, examining them, "Hope is the best thing to have. Reminding them of what they have waiting out in the world, the homes and people they want to get back to, that'll help them fight all the harder to stop what's happening."

"And here's something that might help you," the Doctor added, leaving up one image for Evy to see as he pointed out different blemishes to it, a tire track and some footsteps that appeared to be painted into the ground just outside the homes, "Do you remember the graffiti from the estate? Footprints, tire treads?"

"Vaguely?" Clara asked.

Evy cut the image out, not wanting to not see what Clara was seeing at the moment as the Doctor answered, "Well, I don't think it was graffiti. I think that that is how those creatures saw us. The impressions we make in two dimensional space. That was them reaching out, attempting to talk. At which point they moved into flattening and dissection. Trying to understand. Trying to emulate."

"I wonder if they know," Evy murmured, her hands unconsciously moving to grip her arms, dropping them low to rest over her stomach almost protectively, "That they're actually hurting people by dissecting them."

The Doctor reached out and took her hands, lifting them up to press a kiss to her forearms, knowing, without reading her mind, that her thoughts had drifted back to a terrible time where SHE had been dissected in order for another person to learn more about her.

"We'll stop them," he promised her quietly, too softly for Clara to hear.

Evy gave him a gentle smile for it, stepping closer to him to put her arm around his waist and lean on him as they looked at the screen again.

"Do you?" Clara asked them, "Do you think this could all be one big misunderstanding?"

"I want to," Evy admitted, "Not wanting to hurt someone and doing it accidently is far better than to intentionally do it."

"So why don't we ask them?" the Doctor mused, sending Evy his plan as he hurried to move around the console and prepare the programs for it.

"And how do we do that?"

"That speaker above you," Evy instructed, "Sonic it to connect it to the TARDIS and we'll see what we can do for communication."

Clara nodded and turned to the workers, "Do we have a step lad…ah!" Evy had to chuckle as Clara squealed, not even able to finish her question before the Captain had scooped her up, ducking a bit and seemed to get her up on his shoulders.

"How's that Clar?" he laughed from beneath her.

Clara was panting, "Don't ever do that to me again without warning Cap'n!" she huffed, but she was closer to the speakers so she quickly pulled out her sonic and flashed the old rusty thing.

"Sorry Clar," the Captain chuckled, letting her down.

"Now what?" Clara asked.

"We're going to try and find a way to communicate with the Boneless," Evy told her.

"Why can't the TARDIS just translate?"

"Because their idea of language is just as bizarre as their idea of space," the Doctor muttered, coming over to Evy's side, "Even the TARDIS is confused."

The Captain whistled, "And she does NOT like to be confused."

"This is a bad idea," the old man stormed over, "What makes these colleagues of yours think those monsters even want to talk?"

"Hard as it may be to believe," the Captain began, "Humans aren't the only species out there capable of communication and talking, like you're doing now, isn't the only way to speak to someone. Riv and I went to meet a species dad mentioned once, made of sentient gas who throw fireballs as they're way of waving hello. And speaking of flammable gasses, mum knows another race with 64 stomachs that can talk by disemboweling. Yeah, that wasn't a fun trip now that I think about it…"

"Tardy!" LJ tugged on Clara's arm.

The Captain snapped his fingers and pointed to his miniature self, "We have a wooden spaceship that can only talk to specific alien species in their heads. And don't even get me started on…"

"Ignore him," Clara cut in tensely, "We've got a copper's hunch."

"The point is that the universe is huge and vast and strange and you shouldn't judge everything by a human standard."

"What standard should we judge it on?" Clara leaned in to whisper to him, "I mean, you lived this, Cap'n, what are the Boneless? DO they want to talk to us? You said it yourself, you remember this and you weren't going to let me face this alone. So that means they're not good, doesn't it?"

The Captain sighed and turned Clara away to speak to her and his parents, "I shouldn't say this, I really shouldn't because, well spoilers, but…they're dangerous, yes, and they'll try to attack us, yes, and I dunno if talking will help. It didn't when I was Mini-Me."

"Let's at least try," Clara murmured, "I…I don't want to kill or attack or threaten anything that hasn't attacked yet and might not. Right?" she looked at the Captain, "There IS a chance that they won't, right? Time can be rewritten…"

"There is," the Captain reluctantly agreed, "But I wouldn't hope for it."

"Clara," Evy spoke, pulling something from under the console and walking over to the door, "Take this," she pushed it open, it a bit smaller than before and pushed the straps of the object out them into Clara's hands as LJ held the TARDIS up to her.

"What is it?" Clara frowned, pulling the item out.

"A papoose."

Clara blinked, "I'm sorry?"

"It's a papoose," Evy repeated, "Strap it to you and put LJ on your back," she instructed, "IF this doesn't work and the Boneless become aggressive, you're going to have to run and you're going to need your hands free."

"Can't you just zap LJ in there?" Clara asked even as she began to put the papoose on, the Captain helping her.

"We could," she nodded, "But we don't know what will happen to the TARDIS as it shrinks, I'd rather LJ out there with his teleporter to Jack than in here and trapped. So just…take care of him, take care of my son…BOTH of them."

"You can count on me," Clara nodded.

"Right then," the Doctor called, Evy walking back over to him as she shut the doors, "Let's start with pi. Even in a flat world they would have circles. I don't mean edible pie, I mean circular pi. Which I realize would also mean edible pie but anyway…"

Evy just reached forward to push a small lever down, sending out the signal before he started to ramble, a high noise coming out of the speakers a moment later. There was a beeping on the console and she moved over to it, "They're answering, Clara," she called out to the woman, "We're translating now…hold on," she frowned at the result, "55?"

"55 what?" Clara asked.

"No, that's the answer, 55, the number 55."

"Tenth Fibonacci number?" the Doctor supplied, trying to work out what it might mean, "Atomic number of caesium…"

"I think I know what it means," Rigsy called, stepping into Clara's view, "We all have numbers on our jackets," he gestured to the patch on his own, "Have to sign them out. That was the number on Stan's jacket, the man they flattened in the subway."

"So they're gloating," the old man groused.

"We don't know that," the Doctor argued.

"Well, I do," the Captain offered, "And yes, they are."

"Shush!" Clara shouted just as the old man opened his mouth to rant about that, "Shush, shush. Listen…the pitch changed."

And indeed it had, Evy looked at the results this time, "22," she called.

"22," Clara repeated, looking around, "Which one of you is 22?"

"That's George!" Rigsy pointed to the man Clara had sent off to keep watch.

"Looks like your number's up, George!" the old man actually laughed, turning to face the man as he just stood there, "Now they're threatening."

"George?" Clara called, seeing the man was near unmoving.

"Clar," the Captain spoke in her ear, "We need to be careful," he warned, and they could see him tug Clara just to the side…revealing that George, though he looked 3D to them, from another angle he'd already been flattened into a 2D image.

"The tunnel!" Clara shouted as the image of George was sucked into the ground, "They've got George. Go!" she turned and rushed the people on, the Time Lords able to see LJ's little hands gripping her as he sat in his papoose behind her.

"What do we do now?" Clara called to the Time Lords as they frantically ran around the console.

"I might have an idea," Evy muttered, moving to a small table, a handful of different tech pieces in her hand.

~8~

Clara gasped as they reached a steel door with a wheel in the middle of it halfway down the tunnel they'd dashed through before. But, as the Captain moved to open it, they realized the wheel had been flattened into the door, just like in the last flat they'd visited.

"Another flat handle," she called into the earpiece, looking around at where they were, a very disused portion of the tunnel, so disused that the tracks were gone, "They were here. Not now. They've stopped chasing us, I think. It feels like they're cornering us."

"You can't apply human logic," the Doctor tried to argue, "You're dealing with creatures from another dimen…"

"They ARE cornering us," the Captain cut in, hearing his father's voice in her head, not even thinking about LJ realizing the implications, the little boy was too engrossed in trying to look over Clara's shoulder at the handle anyway, "Trust me. They are."

"That's three exits all blocked by those creatures," one of the men reported, checking the other doors around them.

"Rigsy," Clara turned to him, "Where's the next exit?"

Rigsy shook his head, "The only other one I can think of is where the old line joins the new, but it's a fair walk. Getting through that door would be quicker."

"Well you can't exactly do that right this second can you?" Evy muttered in Clara's ear.

"But we can't, can we?" the old grouch concurred unknowingly.

"I take it back," Evy huffed, making Clara smile at bit, Evy did not seem to like that man much. Neither did she though.

"I'm just saying…" Rigsy tried to defend.

"Mum," the Captain called, reaching out to tug Clara to face him slightly, "Have you finished the Twodis yet?"

"The what?" Clara blinked at that.

But then Evy sighed in her ear, "He really enjoys stealing our thunder doesn't he?" she mused, "Got to name it before you did, got to bring up the Twodis before I could…"

"He's your son," the Doctor chuckled at that.

"What's a Twodis?" Clara repeated, trying to get them on track.

"Something that might help," Evy explained, "I just need another mo to finish it…"

Clara let out a breath and looked around, trying to keep lookout for the Boneless when, "Wow!" LJ cheered behind her, pointing past her at something on the wall, a rather amazing painting that looked like something exploding in a circular motion.

Rigsy grinned at the reaction, "It's one of mine. Do you like it?"

"Yes, yes!" LJ nodded, his little legs nearly kicking Clara in the back as the Captain chuckled at himself.

"It's something," the older LJ agreed.

"Not bad," Clara nodded.

"Clara look at the TARDIS doors," Evy spoke in her ear and Clara turned her head to the side where LJ was holding the box right by her head, to see a small device sticking out of it. It looked rather like an old fashioned calculator with a ball on top of it and a small satellite attacked to that.

"And this will help?" she asked, taking it.

"If I'm right, which I very much hope I am…"

"You are," the Doctor cut in, reassuring her.

"it should be able to restore something that was flattened to 3D, on a small scale at least, like door handles and locks and things."

"And it's a…Twodis?" Clara moved to head over to the door, the Captain beside her, keeping watch.

"Mum thought she was being clever with the name," the Captain remarked, "This her finds things more amusing but she's not quite as amusing as she thinks she is."

Clara winced, hearing Evy mutter something, "She can hear you, you know."

The Captain just winked at her for it, "Give it a go," he nodded at the door.

Clara turned and aimed the device at the wheel, green pulses of energy starting to spark out of the ball portion, forming a circle and waving towards the doors…but nothing happened, "Long way round it is," she muttered, letting the Captain take the Twodis and sonic it with his sonic, before wincing again as an alarm sounded in her ear, "Everything alright?"

"Clara, we don't know how, but they're doing it again!" the Doctor warned, "They're leeching the TARDIS!"

"How!?" her eyes widened as she spun around, trying to see if the Boneless were closing in on them, "The doors are closed!"

"It seems like they've changed their frequency," Evy told her, "It's different this time…we can't keep it out or block it!"

"Right," Clara nodded, spinning to face the others, "Listen! The Doctor and Evy think we might be in trouble, that the Boneless might be close…"

"They are," the Captain looked up, squinting down the tunnels around them.

"Where, exactly?" the old man snapped.

"There!" the Captain pointed at what appeared to be a shadowy lump forming from the ground down the end of the tunnel they were in, standing under a hanging light, making it look all the more ominous, "Go, that way!" he tried to shove them down the middle tunnel despite the men backing straight back, "No, don't!"

But it was too late, just behind the men a giant, painted hand shoved out of the wall and grabbed the second man, carrying him into the hair and sucking him back into the wall with a scream.

"Clara run!" Evy shouted in her ear.

"They're advancing," the Doctor called, "The next stage, 3D! Go!"

Clara glanced around only for a moment to see lumps starting to slither in the floor down the length of the tunnel before they started to twist and turn and rise out of the ground, taking on shapes…even faces, like PC Forrest…

"Here!" the Captain cried, finishing his fiddling with the Twodis and dashing to the door, holding it before him and activating it, "I've boosted the output and…"

"I don't care," Clara cut in, "Just get it open!"

The Captain nodded and flashed the door, the green rings more solid this time and latching onto the wheel, making it bubble and rise out of the door, 3D once more. He quickly put the device in his pocket and pried the door open, urging Clara and his younger self through first, with Rigsy and the old grouch after him, slamming the door shut as he followed, Clara already with her sonic out to lock it.

"Hold on, hold on," he pulled the Twodis out and flashed it at the door as well, causing the handle to sink back into the door for good measure.

"Come on!" Rigsy called, leading them away, "There's a ladder at the end of this. If we get down into the tunnel, we can make it into daylight!"

"There's no need," the old man panted, waving at Rigsy as he tried to get them to move, "If it's flat," he gestured at the door, "We're safe now, aren't we?"

"Not even close," the Captain said grimly, pulling Clara back as red sparks began to slip around the edge of the door and head for the handle, "Go!" he turned and pushed her on, his hand resting on the papoose.

"Aww," his younger-self pouted as they ran, "I want to see the Boneless!"

"Oh you will," he muttered, "One day."

"How did they do that?" Clara asked as they hurried away, "I thought they were flat, they were just barely becoming 3D…"

"They must be able to reverse the process on something they already flattened," Evy spoke in her ear, "However they're able to do it, Clara, it doesn't mean anything if they catch you. Just run!"

~8~

The Doctor and Evy stood nearly hunched over, frowning at the monitor as they watched Clara glance back at the creatures they were running from. It looked like a pixilated mess of squares shifting and turning and trying to take a human shape, but there was nothing definite about them.

"We need to stop this," Evy murmured, "We need to stop them…"

They both knew their grown-son was likely right, he'd clearly lived this experience as a toddler and if he said that the Boneless meant to harm them, then they did.

He nodded and reached out to the microphone, "Clara, do you want the good news or the bad news?"

"We're in the bad news!" she shouted, "We're living the bad news!"

You wouldn't be able to tell it was 'bad news' given how LJ was laughing and cheering in her ear. But it seemed their little boy really had no concept of danger, at least not when he was around people he trusted would keep him safe, like Clara and his older self, with his parents working to help as well. He didn't seem frightened at all but more excited to see what happens and what they'd do to stop the Boneless.

"The good news is we might have a way, theoretically speaking, to send the Boneless back to their 2D space."

"Do it! Now!"

"And that's the bad news," the Doctor sighed, "The TARDIS doesn't have enough dimensional energy to pull it off."

"Great," Clara huffed, "What do you want me to do about it?"

"We need some way to get the Boneless to dispense the energy back to the TARDIS instead of sucking it out," Evy told her.

"Oh, well, maybe if I ask them really nicely, they'll fill you up again!"

The Doctor frowned at that and looked at Evy, "Are we sure she's not our son regenerated into a woman?" he asked her, "She sounds as sarcastic as you used to be."

Evy laughed, "No, no, she's just his Link, which means she's likely to be as sarcastic as HE is…"

"Hey!" LJ cut into their small conversation, though when they looked over, they realized it wasn't his intention to interrupt them, but because he was now playing tug of war with the grouchy man as he tried to pull the TARDIS out of LJ's hands.

"Oi! Leave it!" Clara slapped the man's hands, causing him to pull back without the TARDIS…unfortunately, LJ's grip wasn't firm, being so young, and they could see the box flying away from Clara…and right over the edge of a railing, the Captain just barely missing catching it to stop it.

"Oh this isn't going to be pleasant," the Doctor muttered, Clara racing forward to look down, watching the TARDIS fall away from her.

"Doctor?!" Clara gasped, "Evy?"

They braced themselves on the console as the box landed with a thump, the alarms starting to sound around them.

"Are you alright?!" Clara shouted, "Can you hear me? You got dropped you down a hole. Where are you?!"

"We don't know," Evy moved to the monitor to check, but the screen was black, "We've lost sight of you too Clara, we can't see what you do anymore."

"The shields have gone," the Doctor checked the other areas on the console, "Structural integrity is failing. Another blow like that and we've had it," he looked at Evy solemnly at that…their power was truly that low that one more blow and they'd be useless…

She shook her head and moved to the doors, looking out, "Brilliant," she scoffed, "We're on the train lines!" and blinked, seeing a small spark of light appear in the distance, "And I think there's a train coming."

"Of course there is," the Doctor rubbed his head, "Short-term re-materialization?" he called to Evy as she ran over to him, trying to help him find some way to get them away from the train, "Not enough power."

"Teleport?" Evy tried to check, but sighed, "Not enough power!"

"Reroute the heart of the TARDIS through…" he slammed his hands on the console, "Not enough power! Not enough power!"

Evy glanced at the doors, they could hear the train coming now, "It's almost at us…"

"Can't you move the TARDIS?" Clara called.

"Clara, there is no power!" the Doctor told her, "The TARDIS couldn't boil an egg at the moment. Listen, do what you can to get those people out of there. You're stronger than you know…"

"No, no, dad," the Captain spoke, "Remember that Addams Family thing? The Thing, the hand! Use your hand!"

The Doctor's eyes widened at that and he dashed for the doors, throwing the small little things open and sticking his hand out, using his fingers to pull the TARDIS off to the side and just up a small incline, enough to be out of the way of the train and spun around with a grin at Evy.

"Ha!" he cheered, starting to hum the Addams Family theme while dancing his way back to her, reaching out to pull her to him, spinning her around, and dipping her…

Right as the train reached them, the vibration of it shaking the TARDIS right back down onto the tracks.

"Damn," was all the Doctor could say before Evy pulled him down, the two of them rolling just under the console overhang as the train hit…

~8~

Clara gasped as static filled her earpiece, causing her to slowly take it out, "Cap'n?" she turned to him with wide eyes.

"Mummy?" LJ's lip quivered, his eyes filling with tears, "Daddy?"

"Are fine," the Captain stepped closer to them, taking Clara's hand out of LJ's sight, "They're fine, Mini-Me, you know them. Faced down all the enemies they've ever had all at once and walked away, this is nothing they can't survive," he winked at the boy though it was for Clara too, "Trust them."

~8~

The Captain reached out, his hands lightly resting on Clara's hips to help her down the last steps of the ladder to the track below, the same track that the TARDIS had fallen to.

"They'd be here if they were coming," Rigsy looked around for the Boneless, "Where are they?"

"There's no other way down, right?" the grouchy old man turned to Rigsy, "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"There is," Rigsy nodded, "An old service elevator near the mouth of the tunnel."

Clara swallowed, looking around but not seeing the tiny TARDIS anywhere and knowing they didn't have time to look, even with their sonics, "We should go," she looked at the Captain regretfully.

"Oh, no!" the old man gasped, pointing down the tunnel where they could see shadows flickering in the light, shadows that were too sharp on the edges to be actual people. He spun around, hearing a whistle, "And there's another train coming!"

They could see it now, one of the trains racing towards them. But the Captain was quick, stepping forward and flicking his sonic on, switching the green 'all clear' light to red, the driver quickly pulling the brakes and sending the train to a grinding halt.

~8~

Evy offered the Doctor a small smile as she placed a blanket with a slit in it over his head, "Amy was right," she remarked, eyeing him fondly, "Dressed as a Peruvian Folk Band is the only way to freeze to death."

"We won't," he promised her, reaching out to take her hand, wrapping another blanket around her as he held her in his arms, "We won't freeze to death."

"I'm glad LJ is with Clara," she murmured into his chest, "If it gets too dangerous, she knows to send him to Jack, but at least he's out there."

He nodded, pressing a kiss to her hair, "Clara?" he called out, "We don't know if you can still hear us out there, but the TARDIS is now in siege mode. No way in, no way out. I managed to turn it on just before the train hit. But there's not enough power left now to turn it off."

"If you can hear us," Evy added, "Thank you, for taking care of our son, both of them, for keeping them safe, and making them happy," she smiled a bit, resting her chin on the Doctor's chest, to look at him.

"You know it's probably impossible for us to get out of this, right?"

She just grinned more, "Well then, good thing I stayed with you," she patted his chest, "Now let's find a way back to them."

He nodded, rubbing her arms one more time before they both got to work.

~8~

"What's going on?!" the driver of the train called as he made his way out of it, "Why the red light?"

"Captain J. Smith, Ministry of Transportation, Tunnels division," the Captain quickly held up the psychic paper, "There's a blockage in the tunnel, have to clear it out."

Clara gave the Captain a meaningful look, "Think we can we ram the 'blockage?'" she glanced at the driver, "The train's empty, isn't it?"

"Yeah," the man shrugged, "It's out of service, but you'd need someone to hold the dead man's handle. Won't run without it," he glanced at the trio, eyeing LJ playing with Clara's hair now that he didn't have the TARDIS to hold onto, "Is this official? …because I've always wanted to ram something."

The Captain laughed at that, "A man after my own heart," he patted the driver's shoulder.

"Can we rig it to drive without that?" Clara cut in, not about to let the Captain, or the driver, into the train to send it going with them in it, "Send it in with no driver?"

No sooner had the words left her mouth did LJ shout out, "Train!" and point at the train…that was moving once more.

"Rigsy!" Clara cried, seeing the young man in the driver's cab.

The Captain took off, not about to let Clara run with a baby strapped to her back and hopped up, to one of the side entrances, dashing to the front part, "You're stealing my thunder, I'll have you know," he pointed out to the boy.

"Well I can't let YOU do it!" Rigsy defended.

"Why not?" the Captain frowned at that.

"You and Clara, you're a thing ain't you?"

"How do you…"

"I'm not exactly blind mate," Rigsy tried to smile, "I see the way you look at each other, and I get it, keep it PG in front of the kid, right?"

"Um…yes?"

"And that's why I'm gonna do this, I'm going to ram them, buy you some time…"

"No," the Captain shook his head, "You do that, you'll die. And trust me, it's not as fun as you'd think it is."

"I know it isn't fun!" he snapped, "But I got do this, I gotta do something right in my life…"

"Ok, then this will be it," he leaned forward, pulling a rubber band from his pockets and slinging it around the control lever and tethering it to a bottom control, "Come on, I'll say you thought of it," he winked at Rigsy and turned to run for the side entrance of the train again, knowing that Rigsy was following this time.

The two men jumped out of the train, tripping a little but quickly scrambling up to watch the train going for the Boneless…only to be sucked into the wall by them.

The Captain sighed, "Knew that was gonna happen," he muttered, there had been a reason he'd stopped the train and tried to use the blockage as an excuse. Last time that happened too, but he'd been too far away and not paying attention enough to see Rigsy had been in the driver's spot. It was too late to stop the train, but he could still save Rigsy, so there was that at least.

"Cap'n!" Clara shouted as she, the driver, and the grouchy old man jogged over to them, he could tell by the look in her eye she was either going to slap him silly for scaring her like that, or kiss him for saving Rigsy…

And given his younger self was literally watching over her shoulder, he braced himself for…

"Ow!" he winced as she whacked him on the arm with the back of her hand.

"STOP scaring me like that!" she huffed at him.

"Sorry Clar," he rubbed the back of his head.

"Look!" the driver gasped, pointing ahead where the Boneless were starting to rise out of the ground, looking more solid now, actually seeming able to walk towards them, their forms still shimmering and shifting but holding longer.

"Go!" Clara turned and pushed them on, back in the direction they'd come, "Go!"

The Captain ran after them, pausing when he spotted a very small cube about the size of his hand lying near the tracks, Gallifreyan symbols all over the walls of it, "So that's what Siege Mode looks like on the outside…" he hummed, picking it up and dashing after the others.

~8~

"…THIS is the TARDIS?" Clara raised an eyebrow at the Captain at the small cube he'd placed in her hands as soon as they were safely hidden in a rather disused office, lifting it up to let LJ take it and play with it while she and the Captain talked. The others had gathered on the other side of the room to catch the driver up on what was happening.

"Yep," he smiled and nodded.

"And the Doctor and Evy, they're safe inside it?"

"Yep. Well, relatively speaking."

Her eyes narrowed, "Relatively how?"

"If dad's story is true and not an exaggeration, which…which it could be, cos you know dad," he scratched the back of his neck, "They may possibly be freezing and/or suffocating to death in there?"

"What?!" she exclaimed, "Cap'n!"

"They're fine!" he argued, "They'll be fine in the end, I promise," he crossed his hearts, "Believe me, I would be freaking out MUCH more if I didn't know they'd be ok!"

"We have to get them out of there!"

"And we will," he nodded.

"How?"

"Think," he smiled.

"No," she shook her head, "No, I am not wasting time trying to work this out myself, Cap'n, you tell me right now or so help me…"

"What?" he challenged.

Her eyes narrowed more, speaking in his mind, ' _No kisses. Ever. Again._ '

' _You wouldn't…_ ' he gaped at her.

She crossed her arms, ' _Try me._ '

"Right," he nodded, quickly reaching out to take the cube from his younger self, "Sorry, Mini-Me, but I'm gonna need to borrow this for a mo…Rigsy!" he spun to the boy, "I'm going to need to commission a piece from you."

"What?" Rigsy blinked, startled.

"Mum and dad need energy to stop the Boneless, and that's exactly what we're gonna give them," he turned and ripped a poster off the wall, laying it on a table so that the unprinted side was up and nicked a spray can off a little shelf, tossing it to him.

~8~

"You're going to get us killed," the old man grouched to the Captain as they stood in the office, as far away from the door as they could get, a small stool sitting right behind the door with the cube on it, "This plan's insane!"

"The insane ones are the best ones though!" the Captain grinned at him, winking despite the man's tone.

"You want to walk?" Clara cut in, a bit more irate than the Captain was with the man's tone and just the misery he'd been the entire time, "Walk. You want to stay? Then shush!"

"They're coming!" the driver whispered to them, all of them falling quiet as they heard the sizzling noise just outside the door.

The Captain stared at it intently, waiting with an excited grin on his face to see his plan in action. It was simple really, just on the other side of the door was a painting Rigsy had done, of a door with a 2D handle.

Now that the Boneless were morphing into 3D they would have to use 3D methods, which meant needing the handle to be in 3D as well…

But if there was never any 3D handle…their energy wouldn't affect it, but it would affect something else…

~8~

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and Evy were huddled together, sitting in the armchair on the mid-level of the console room, shivering even with an extra large blanket over them both, sharing body heat, sharing air as well which was growing thinner.

"Life support's failing," the Doctor murmured, siege mode had trapped them in the console room and closed down all entrances and exits, including the air vents, "I don't know if you'll ever hear this, Clara, we don't even know if you're still alive out there but…"

"Don't," Evy shook her head, her eyes closed, "Don't say anything just yet," she looked at him, "Say it when we see her next. Tell her yourself. Ok?"

He let out a gentle breath but nodded, knowing what she was doing, holding onto her hope that they would get out of this, that their son and Clara would work something out.

"She was a marvelous Doctor though," Evy mused quietly, more to him than something she would say to Clara.

"I would have liked to see her keep being Impossible," he nudged her head with the tip of his nose, resting his head to hers.

"She'll always be an Impossible Girl, it was about time she was the Doctor."

"Now we just have to hope our boy will be as Impossible a boy then," he wound his arms around her tighter, the two of them breathing in slowly, trying to remain calm and not use up the air faster…

~8~

The Captain's grin widened as he saw tendrils of red energy drifting through the door, being sucked right towards the box.

"It's working!" he beamed.

"What is?" Rigsy hissed.

"That energy, the Boneless are trying to make something 3D but it's the wrong thing," he looked at them, but they all appeared confused, even Clara, "They're trying to return something to a 3D state that was never 3D to begin with. Which means…"

"The energy will be sucked to the nearest thing that DID used to be 3D!" Clara gasped, realizing what he was getting at, "Cap'n that's brilliant!"

He winked at her, all of them looking over as the small cube began to shake, flying off the stool and spinning around, the energy crackling around it as it began to expand and grow, the wheezing of the box resounding before it crashed right through the door, knocking the Boneless back and landing in the middle of the tunnel just outside. The small group ran to the door as the light on the top of the TARDIS flashed, sending out a force field that threw the Boneless back even farther, disintegrating them for a moment and forcing them to recharge.

"It worked," Clara beamed, "They charged the TARDIS!"

"We tried to talk," the Doctor's voice came from the TARDIS speakers, LJ starting to clap on Clara's head excitedly, just knowing an epic speech was coming, "I want you to remember that. We tried to reach out, we tried to understand you, but I think that you understand us perfectly. And we think you just don't care. And we don't know whether you are here to invade, infiltrate, or just replace us. I don't suppose it really matters now. You are monsters. That is the role you seem determined to play. So it seems I must play mine," the doors were thrown open as the Doctor strode out, Evy beside him, the small group watching from just above on a small walkway, "The man that stops the monsters. I'm sending you back to your own dimension. Who knows?" he examined his sonic, setting it, "Some of you may even survive the trip. And, if you do, remember this. You are _not_ welcome here. This plane is protected. I am the Doctor and I name you the…"

Just as he was about to throw his arm out and zap the creatures into their own dimension, a flash went off beside him, Evy's sonic out and powered already, triggering the TARDIS to send out a pulse of energy that blased through the enemy, causing them to disintegrate into nothing but ashes with an agonized squeal.

"Boneless," he finished, huffing as he turned to her, "Did you have to?"

She rolled her eyes at how put out he was that she'd 'stolen his thunder' and turned to move to the small ladder Clara and the Captain were coming down, "I want to see my son," she told him, "I want to hold him, and you were taking too long to get rid of the things that tried to kill him."

He blinked at that, considering her words, before shrugging and nodding, he COULD be rather long winded when he wanted to be. So he moved after her, clapping the Captain on the shoulder and leaning in to ruffle LJ's hair as the boy pouted, making them all laugh, relieved that they were alive and safe once more.

~8~

The TARDIS materialized just outside the underpass, exactly where it had when the adventure first began, the doors opening for Rigsy, the driver, and the old man to step out, Clara and the Captain following with Evy and the Doctor behind, LJ in the Doctor's arms.

The Time Lords shared an amused look when the driver got on his knees to kiss the ground before Clara handed Rigsy her mobile to make a very important call.

"Hi, Mum," Rigsy began, stepping off a few feet to talk to his mother, "It's me…"

"You alright?" the Captain gave the driver an odd look, nodding along with his younger self as LJ went 'ick!'

"I'm alive," the driver smiled, standing up, "And I've been inside that," he gestured at the TARDIS, "I think I'm up on the deal. Come here," he reached forward and pulled the Captain and Clara into a tight hug, "Thank you," he nodded at them, pulling away, pausing when he noticed the old man seemed unaffected, merely tying his boots with the same sour expression on his face that he'd had from the start, "You look chipper," he muttered walking off.

"Do people still say chipper?" Clara mused.

"Apparently," the Doctor answered with a shrug.

"How are you both?" Evy looked at the Captain and Clara, "Alright?"

"We're still alive," Clara gave a light smile.

"Which is the big thing," the Captain nodded, "Not dying and all."

"Others kicked it though," the old man cut in, standing, "It's like a forest fire, though, isn't it? The objective is to save the great trees, not the brushwood. Am I right?" he smirked.

"Farthest thing from it actually," the Captain frowned at him.

"It wasn't a fire," the Doctor agreed, "Those weren't trees, those were people."

"They were Community Payback scumbags," the man sneered, "I wouldn't lose any sleep."

"Nor would they over you, I'd wager," Evy eyed him, disgusted at his attitude.

"It IS good to be alive isn't it?" he grinned, "Thank you. Seriously, thank you."

LJ pouted as the man walked off, "Meanie."

"That he is boyo," the Doctor nodded.

"You ever wonder," the Captain looked at his parents, "On the days when…when not everybody lives, that sometimes the wrong people survived?"

"No," Evy shook her head, "When you start to think you know who deserves to live or die, that's the day to stop travelling," she gave her son a reassuring smile, "We keep each other right," she glanced at the Doctor, "We keep each other from reaching that point."

"That we do," the Doctor repeated, leaning in to kiss her quickly.

"Daddy!" LJ groaned, "Stop it! Icky!"

The Captain chuckled at his youngerself, absently putting his arm around Clara's shoulders, before realizing what he was doing around his impressionable self and pulled his arm back, Clara shaking her head at him, amused.

"The main thing is…we saved the world," Clara added.

"YOU did," Evy smiled at them.

"We did, didn't we?" Clara beamed at that, "I got to be the Doctor today," she considered that.

"And you were brilliant at it," the Captain informed, giving Clara a sweet look that started to turn a bit besotted…when Rigsy returned to save/ruin the moment.

"Ah!" the Doctor cheered, bobbing LJ a bit till he giggled, "The return of the fluorescent pudding brain."

"Pudding!" LJ repeated.

Clara leaned in quickly to the Captain, "Please tell me you don't go through a phase of calling people pudding brains."

"Not that I can recall, no," he reassured her with a wink.

"Doctor," Evy shook her head at him, "He's standing right there," she gestured at Rigsy, "He can hear you."

"Yeah, dad, you're being rude," the Captain teased, "You own him a thank you, really, his painting was what helped get you lot out of siege mode."

"Yes, yes," the Doctor sighed, "Thank you," he offered the young man, who smiled, "Your last painting helped save the world, I can't wait to see what you do next."

Rigsy looked down at that, shuffling a bit in embarrassment from the compliment, "It's not going to be easy. I've got a rubber band to live up to," he chuckled as the Captain laughed loudly at that, "Thanks," he reached out to shake their hands, hugging the Captain and Clara though, high-fiving LJ for good measure before he gave them a wave and turned to head home.

"Admit it," Clara looked at the Doctor, "Since you're on a compliment streak, I did well."

"I did tell you to wait till you saw her…" Evy teased.

He rolled his eyes, "You were an exceptional Doctor, Clara."

Clara beamed at that, "Thanks."

"Shall we pop you back to your flat now?" he nodded at the box.

"Actually," she shook her head, "The Cap'n offered me a lift, and he DID have a better teacher for piloting…"

"Oh go on," Evy waved her off, knowing it was Clara's way of subtly trying to be able to leave with the Captain for what was likely a date without tipping LJ off to it, "We'll see you later."

Clara gave them a small salute while the Captain winked at them, the two turning to go as the Time Lords moved to head back into their TARDIS, when they heard the man call out, "Oh, mum!"

Evy paused and turned to him, the Doctor glancing at the Captain once more before he headed inside with LJ, giving his son a bit of privacy with his mother, Clara waiting a short distance away, "Yes?" she smiled at him.

But he just stepped closer and hugged her tightly, "I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

She frowned, hugging him back, "About what?"

He let out a breath, pulling away, "How I acted when Clara and I had our little tiff," well it wasn't really a tiff, it was more Clara not speaking to him and him freaking out about it, "I shouldn't have yelled at you or dad, you especially. I just…I don't know what…"

"Sigma," she smiled at him, putting her hands on his shoulders so he'd look at her, "You're forgetting I've seen firsthand what your father is like when he thinks someone's upset me, when he thinks someone's put me in terrible danger. I understand. I'm not happy you shouted, but I DO understand that, the first response of a Link when they think their other is in danger or hurting because of someone else is…explosive. I, actually, would have been more alarmed if you HADN'T shouted."

"…really?" he eyed her, not sure if she was just saying it to try and ease his guilt about it, and he HAD felt guilty for yelling. It was one thing if she had been HIS mother, from his timeline, the one that raised him, he felt worse for yelling at his younger-mother.

"If you doubt me, just…find a River, cross the timelines for just a moment, and ask her what happened when she begged us to take her to go to the Mare Frigoris."

"What happened?" he frowned.

She shook her head, "If you don't know, then it's something she would have to tell you. All I can say is that…how a Link acts when the one they love is hurt," she sighed, "It won't matter to them who they're reacting against if that person hurt their Link. I've actually seen worse reactions in the past from your father, yours was relatively tame. So don't worry," she leaned in and kissed his cheek, "I appreciate you apologizing, and I accept your apology, don't fret over this Sigma. I'm your mother," she patted his cheek, "It'll take more than you shouting at me to upset me after all the things your father's done in his lives."

He chuckled a bit at that, "You're sure?"

She nodded, "I'm fine, and we're fine, and…I'm actually very happy you love Clara that much that you would stand up to US for her. That's all I've ever wanted for you, to find love and be happy."

"Thanks mum," he smiled.

She patted his chest, "Now you had better go, you and your Link deserve some peace after today."

He glanced over his shoulder at Clara, the girl giving him a small wave, and turned back to his mother, "Thanks, again."

She just waved him off, shooing him to Clara, watching the two of them walk off, hand in hand, before she entered the TARDIS, the box disappearing moments later.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...I wonder what exactly it was that River did that had the Doctor reacting so violently against her, due to the Link, that she first mentioned in Flesh and Stone }:) Maybe one day we'll find out ;)
> 
> As for this chapter, I tried to balance scenes in the TARDIS with scenes from Clara's POV to give it a little variety :) And the Captain and LJ in the same place for an adventure was fun so I hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> Next chapter...the Time Lords are confronted with Mr. Danny Pink, vicious animals really should NOT be pets, and Clara defends her family ;)


	19. In the Forest of the Night (Part 1)

"How's it going?" the Doctor asked as he leaned on the console beside his Link, watching her work away on fixing some wires or another on the console, her hair pulled back by its ribbon.

"Very nearly done," she smiled up at him, leaning in to give him a quick kiss, "Though I still have no idea how you managed to snap the line to the phone again," she gave him a look, "Especially after I replaced it with far stronger wire," she narrowed her eyes, "It's almost as if someone purposefully cut the wire…"

"Well, if someone did," he played along, "Then I'm sure it was for a good reason."

"Such as?"

"Perhaps he has a rather lovely Link about that would be willing to fix it, a beautiful Link that he rather loves to watch working," he smiled at her.

"As flattered as I am," she looked back at her work, though her cheeks were pinker, "Don't cut the phoneline, not when it could be Jenny or Clara or Sigma or Jack or any of the others trying to call us," she glanced at him, "If you must, break something else."

' _Or don't break anything at all!_ ' the TARDIS snapped in their minds, making them look up, ' _I am not a puzzle to keep trying to piece together again,_ ' it huffed.

The Doctor chuckled but patted the console, "Sorry old girl," he apologized, "I promise," he crossed his hearts, "I won't intentionally break anything anymore."

' _And no letting Sigma 'play' with my controls either! I know your tricks thief, he'll break me as surely as you would._ '

The Time Lords had to nod at that, LJ was always so eager to touch anything he could get his hands on, including the TARDIS controls and, more than once, he'd ended up snapping something or twisting something off.

The Doctor turned to Evy to ask her something when a knock sounded on the door, making them frown. He glanced at his watch, then the monitor to confirm that it was the right time and date, before focusing on Evy, "It's too early to be Clara…" he murmured, stepping past her to check who had knocked. He opened the door and looked out at a lush forest, before glancing down and spotting a little girl with black hair in a Coal Hill uniform standing there.

"I'm lost," the girl stated, "Please, can you help me?"

"It's that way," the Doctor pointed into the distance, before shutting the door and turning to Evy.

"Were those trees?" Evy called, wiping her hands as she finished and turning to face him fully, "Was that a forest?"

He blinked at that and quickly opened the door once more, "Are those trees?" he repeated Evy's words.

The girl was still standing there, reaching out to tug on his coat, "I need the Doctor. Are you the Doctor?"

"Yes," he looked down, "Do you have an appointment? You need an appointment to see the Doctor."

"No you don't!" Evy called from within, tossing the rag she was wiping her hands on to the side, loosening her hair and starting to head for the doors.

"Please," the little girl begged, "Something's chasing me."

The Doctor's expression hardened at that and he ushered the girl into the TARDIS quickly, looking over at LJ as he sat in his small play pen area, staring through the mesh at them. He turned to Evy and moved up to the console to join her.

"What was chasing you?" Evy asked the girl, crouching down to speak more directly to her.

"I don't know," the girl shrugged, "But they were behind me," she looked up at the rotor, turning to try and take in the larger on the inside box now that she had a better look at it.

"When you drink a glass of Coke, it's only this big," the Doctor gestured with his hands, "But it's actually got this much sugar in it," he widened his hands, "It works a bit like that."

"What does?" the girl blinked at them.

"The TARDIS," the Doctor stated, "It's bigger on the inside than the outside, or did you not notice?"

The girl sighed, "I just thought it was supposed to be bigger on the inside, so I didn't say anything."

Evy gave a soft chuckle at that, "Very clever…sorry, what's your name dear?"

"Maebh."

"Maebh, I'm Evy, and that's the Doctor," she gestured at the man now hurrying around the console to try and see what might have been following the girl, "But you already knew that, didn't you? You were looking for him…"

"I wasn't," Maebh shook her head, "Not really," she sighed, seeming to realize what she was saying was confusing, "I was in the woods cos I thought Miss Oswald told me to find the Doctor. But it wasn't her. It was just in my head."

"Clara Oswald?" Evy guessed.

"Dark hair?" the Doctor called to help incase the girl didn't know her teacher's first name, just wanting to confirm, "Highly unpredictable? Surprisingly round face?"

Maebh nodded, "Everyone says she's in love with Mr. Pink."

The Time Lords looked at each other for that before laughing, "Humans, getting it wrong since the beginning of time eh?" the Doctor smiled at Evy.

"I don't think they're in love either," Maebh agreed.

"What makes you say that?" Evy turned back to her.

"She doesn't seem like she likes talking to him right now," Maebh answered, "She keeps calling him Mr. Pink even though he tries to call her Clara."

"Yes, formality does seem to be a sign of distance," the Doctor mused.

"I like Mr. Pink though," Maebh added, "I was in his group."

"Mr. Pink was looking after you?" the Doctor muttered, "Well, that explains why you're lost."

"Come on," Evy stood, moving over to the console, "I'll call up Clara so she can come collect you and get you back to your trip."

The Doctor eyed Maebh as she followed them around, "It doesn't surprise you that we know all about your school? About this trip you're on?" Clara had told them it was a field trip she had to chaperone, that she'd call them after for an adventure but Maebh wouldn't know that.

"Everyone seems to know everything about everything, apart from me," Maebh said simply.

"That's not quite true. I, for instance, have no idea why, when the terrestrial navigation," he reached out and gently slapped her hand as it reached for a random control, "The terrestrial navigation starts up, it closes down all the other systems."

"You should ask somebody who knows."

"He did," Evy smiled, "Unfortunately, I'm not entirely certain about that either."

"Isn't there someone else then?"

"One of the drawbacks of being the last of your species," the Doctor shook his head, "No one to ask when your TARDIS won't start."

"Can't even ask the TARDIS herself," Evy added, "She's being finicky because he broke her," she nodded at the Doctor, "Isn't telling us hide nor hare about where we are or why either. We meant to touch down in the middle of London…"

Maebh blinked at that, "We _are_ in the middle of London."

"We are in the middle of a forest," the Doctor disagreed.

Maebh let out a huff like he was being silly and took his hand, "Come and see then," she tugged him on, Evy watching them go in amusement as she moved to try and patch Clara through to the phone. She led the Doctor outside and pointed to a column rising through the trees, "Nelson's Column. Do you like it?"

"Do I," the Doctor frowned, looking around, knowing that that particular column WAS in the middle of London…but the middle of London wasn't in a forest, "Sorry, what?"

"Do you like the forest being in Trafalgar Square?" Maebh clarified, smiling at the trees, "I think it's lovely."

The Doctor frowned and looked around, not quite believing they WERE in Trafalgar Square…till he saw one of the iconic bronze lions, "Well…" he murmured, "Isn't THAT wizard?" before grimacing, "Ooh rubbish expression," he shook his head, turning to head into the TARDIS just as Evy seemed to connect to Clara.

"Clara?" Evy smiled into the phone as she waved the Doctor up, "We…"

"No, no, hold on," Clara cut in, "Please let me go first. PLEASE!"

Evy laughed, "Alright, what is it?"

"You and the Doctor are always showing me amazing things. Well, I have _finally_ got something amazing to show you."

Evy blinked, "You're not talking about an ultrasound picture, are you?"

"What?" Clara cried, startled, "No! No! No, no. NO, no, no, no, no, nothing like that, nothing like that ever…"

"Ever?" she asked, amused.

"For a very long time," Clara amended and Evy could just tell she was blushing.

"Well, while I wait for your very long time to come to show me something amazing…"

"No," Clara cut in again, "I really DO have something amazing! I promise, you're both going to love this."

"How about you tell us when you come to collect the child that wandered over to us?" she glanced at the girl who had wandered over to LJ's pen, the boy showing her his toys.

"What child?" Clara laughed, "Evy I just told you, no grand children for you for a long, LONG time…"

"Not a grandchild, I'm afraid," Evy smiled, though now she was wondering if Clara and the Captain might have them one day and they'd actually MET their grandchildren but just not realized it, like how they hadn't realized J was their son in the pyramid till it was nearly over, "There's a little girl here, human, in a Coal Hill uniform, says that she was 'in Mr. Pink's group.' Maebh I think she said her name was…"

"What? Maebh?!" Clara gasped, "Oh I am going to kill him," she muttered, "Where are you?"

"Trafalgar Square. She came running to the TARDIS through the new forest."

"The new forest?" Clara hesitated, "Is that the forest that's covering London?"

"I'm going to guess that was the amazing thing you wanted to show us?" Evy smiled, "Sadly we saw it first. Which means I'll just have to wait for my grandchildren then instead…"

"Or, you know, you could just have another child of your own, give LJ a sibling?" Clara suggested.

"Maybe one day," Evy laughed, "Listen, Maebh is fine for now, but you're going to have to come to us to get her."

"Why?" Clara asked, "You're the ones with a spaceship. All we've got are Oyster cards."

"The trees are interfering with our navigation system," Evy told her, "We'd be flying blind."

"Right," Clara sighed, "We're on our way then."

Evy nodded and hung up, looking at the Doctor, "She's coming."

"Good," the Doctor looked over at the girl now playing with LJ, "Maybe should really give it an honest go," he mused, "Having another child."

"If YOU would like to carry it this time, then by all means," Evy teased, nudging him as the two just watched Maebh for a few more moments.

~8~

Clara sighed as she ended the call with Evy, turning and heading back into the London Zoological Museum where she and the class had had a sleep over that night, about to gather the kids together when Danny came over, making her purse her lips. She and Danny were on a…business only speaking terms at the moment. She'd made it very clear after the trip with the Foretold, had gone right up to him the next morning, and told him that, from then on, they talked only of school or projects or Coal Hill and that was it. No discussions of anything regarding their lives, no opinions offered about each other outside of work, and that was how it was going to be for the time being.

She knew it was wrong to think it, but she partially blamed Danny for the entire blow out with the Time Lords, for the weeks she'd spent ignoring the Captain. His words had gotten into her head, had made her fear for her humanity, when Evy was really right. How would he ever be the authority on humanity just because he was human when humans, as a species, existed on many other planets, and not just humanoid aliens, like the Time Lords but actual humans. Oh she blamed herself for letting his words get to her, but she blamed him to for saying something so awful in the first place.

"What did they say?" he asked her, stopping her off to the side.

"Who?"

"The school. Parents. You _were_ just on the phone…"

"Oh," she blinked, realizing he would think she was calling that first, "Rang school and parents. Yes, of course. Thought that was the priority."

"And?" he eyed her, not quite believing her.

"And I couldn't get through. Left messages. If you're that concerned, you try next time," really why didn't HE think to call the school too?

He sighed, frustrated, "You didn't call the school. You called _them_."

Her eyes narrowed at that, "Yes, actually, I was talking to them. Because, in case you hadn't noticed, London's been taken over by a gigantic forest. Who do _you_ want to talk to, Monty Don?"

"I just want to do my job, which is looking after these _kids_ ," he held up his hands in surrender.

"Really?" she crossed her arms, getting a bit sick of his holier than thou attitude, she'd noticed it, a little here and there, how he talked to her even just about the school and the kids, like right now, he was doing it right now. His tone, his emphasis on the kids, he was implying that she didn't care about them as much as he did. What, just because she was a Time Lord? God if he'd even gotten to know the Doctor and Evy he'd know that there wasn't anything more important, there wasn't anything that could get them involved more, than a child crying or in danger, "How many kids?"

"What?" he shook his head.

"Where's Maebh Arden?" she gestured around, making him really look, waiting till the realization that she was missing dawned on him before continuing, "She's with them."

"What?!" he spun back around to her, "No, no, no, no, no. Maebh is a _vulnerable kid_. She's on _medication_."

"And he's a doctor," she reminded him.

"She's had an emotional trauma!"

"And Evy's a mother!" Clara nearly snapped, if there was anyone that knew how to deal with emotional trauma in a child it would be a mother.

"Have they even been CRB checked?"

"They didn't abduct her Mr. Pink," she narrowed her eyes at him, "SHE was lost. THEY found her. And the first thing they did was contact me to have us go collect her. So, if you please, gather your children and I'll gather mine and we'll go get Maebh before the bus arrives to go back to Coal Hill!"

And, with that, Clara turned and stormed away, leaving Danny to huff and turn in the other direction, the children watching them and wondering why two people who they were so sure were in love were fighting.

~8~

Clara looked around as she led the way with Danny down the road outside the museum, heading for Trafalgar Square. They would have had to walk there anyway, that was where their actual transport was going to pick them up later, though she doubted any buses would be getting through the foliage.

"How did this all get here?" she mumbled to herself, trying to work out as much as she could but not even her Time Lady memories were helping her, "Can a forest grow overnight, or have we been asleep for years, like Sleeping Beauty?" she frowned at that, taking a deep breath, trying to orient herself like she'd seen the Doctor and Evy do to sense the time, smiling a bit when she felt…settled, when she felt like it was just the now, in her timeline, that it was the present, "No, not that second one then…"

"Shouldn't we be more worried about how we're going to get these kids home?" Danny muttered beside her.

"That is A question to ask."

Danny scoffed at that.

"What now?" she shot him a glare.

"You're doing it again," he told her quietly, glancing at the kids as they followed, "You're sounding more like an alien than a human."

"Well that is what I am now, Mr. Pink, and just because I may be a Time Lady doesn't mean I've not still got humanity in me. Unless you think anyone that's not human is just less than you by default, which isn't very human at all."

"I'm not saying that, I'm just saying…"

"I know what you're saying," Clara cut in, "But think of this," she gestured around, "This is clearly not normal, this is not normal by human standards, ergo to deal with it we WILL need an alien, and right now, I fit that bill and I'm going to do it proudly," she pulled out her sonic from her purse and flicked it on, "This way!" she called to the children, using the sonic to pick up the Artron Energy of the TARDIS to lead the group on.

Danny paused, standing to the side as Clara went on, frowning at the metal wand she was using, knowing it wasn't human tech either, that it looked just like those 'sonic' things the Doctor and Evy had used with the Blitzer before. He watched the kids pass him, waiting till they'd all gone before following, taking up the rear, and watching Clara intently.

~8~

"Be careful!" Evy shouted up to the Doctor as she stood with LJ, holding his hand, and Maebh beside her on the ground outside the TARDIS, watching the Doctor standing on the plinth of the bronze lion, scanning the trees with his sonic.

"Mummy," LJ tugged on her hand to make her look down at him, "Wood," he pointed at the trees.

She nodded, "Yes, I know, and yes, your father IS trying to use his sonic on them," she shook her head at the man. She'd reminded him of how the sonic didn't work on wood while he'd been climbing up there but, according to him, he wasn't scanning for the wood but to see if there was anything inside the trees, of if they were treeborgs or other mechanics.

LJ was quiet a moment before tugging her hand again, smiling up at her, "Lion?" he pointed at the statue.

She sighed, not even needing him to continue to know what he was asking, "No," she shook her head, "No vicious animals for pets," he pouted at that, making her laugh before she looked up at the Doctor once more, "Any reading?" she called.

"Why would there be a reading?" he huffed, "Because they are actually made of wood," he shook his head, looking down to her, "No circuits. No mechanism. Wood!"

"I DID tell you," Evy smiled at him as he started to hop down, making his way to them back on the ground, "Just a quick scan from down here," she pulled out her sonic and flicked it on to show him, "Would tell you that."

"What's this for?" Maebh reached out to tap the sonic, putting the phone she'd been watching in her pocket.

"Sonic!" LJ called, wanting to help.

"Yes, it's called a sonic screwdriver," Evy explained, "It can do any number of things, scan you, let us know what's inside you, open locks."

"It even interacts with any form of communication you care to mention," the Doctor added, "Sadly, trees have no moving parts and don't communicate."

"They communicate a bit, though," Maebh argued.

"What?"

"How do you figure?" Evy smiled at her.

"Otherwise they wouldn't all grow at the same time, would they?" Maebh asked with such child-simplicity.

"So, what, do you think that's how spring begins?" the Doctor raised an eyebrow, "With a group message on Tree Facebook? Do you think they send texts to each other?"

Maebh shrugged, "You don't need a phone to communicate, do you? I haven't phoned home, and I know my mum is worried about me."

Evy looked at the Doctor, ' _She has a point,_ ' she used her mind to prove it.

' _The trees aren't from Gallifrey though,_ ' he argued weakly, knowing that Maebh was right, he would know, whether through the Link or not if Evy was in danger, and even if he didn't, he would know his son was in trouble, he would worry about him with or without hearing from him, 'And that's parents, not trees.'

' _Jabe?_ ' she gave him a pointed look, ' _She's a tree that could communicate._ '

' _Yes but centuries in the future,_ ' he shook his head, ' _She could actually talk, these trees,_ ' he looked around, ' _They aren't there yet._ '

' _YET,_ ' she repeated, ' _Maybe they're communicating right now, silently._ '

The Doctor considered that, "Come on," he nodded to the side, "We need a thicker grouping of trees to test that…" if they could find a nice, dense area, a very close grouping of trees, and have it be absolutely quiet, perhaps they might be able to sense if there was any telepathic communication going on.

They stepped past a bush and walked a few feet away, pausing by a large tree surrounded by small but growing ones, perfect for what they needed. The Doctor reached out and touched the trunk of it, closing his eyes, concentrating…

When the sound of a tree branch breaking behind them and a child crying out 'Ow!' startled him, he turned and hurried through the bushes, back towards the TARDIS, Evy and LJ just behind him, only to see Clara with Mr. Pink there, surrounded by at least a dozen children, one girl in particular was holding up a broken branch, frowning at it.

"No rings!" the girl was saying, showing Clara the clear wood in her hand, "Trees usually have rings to tell you how old they are. This one's got no rings. Why's that then, sir?"

"The rings mark the years of growth," the Doctor called, stepping closer, "One ring for each year."

"If this forest grew over night, then there would be no rings, it's not been a year yet," Evy added.

"Clara!" LJ cheered, rushing over to hug her, the woman smiling and scooping him up into his arms, hugging him and pressing a kiss to his cheek that had him 'ick'ing and wiping his face.

"Everyone," Clara turned to the children as the Doctor and Evy walked over to them, "This is the Doctor and that's Evy, they were at Coal Hill for a time, filling in for the Caretaker and Nurse, They are going to sort everything out. Isn't that right?" she smiled at them.

"Yes!" LJ cheered.

"We're certainly going to try," Evy smiled reassuringly at the kids, nudging the Doctor not to speak when he opened his mouth to do so, knowing he'd likely say no.

"They're very clever," Clara whispered to the class.

"Oh, yes, we are," the Doctor agreed, " _Very_ clever. But what use is clever against trees?" he gestured around, "They don't listen to reason. You can't plead with them. You can't lie to them. They have no moving parts, no circuits. This is actually a natural event."

"How can it be natural for a tree to grow in one night?" Danny challenged.

"How can it be natural for a heart, something that keeps an entire body alive for decades on end, to stop in an instant?" Evy countered, "Something triggered it."

"And that is exactly what they said about the Ice Age," the Doctor added, "How can whole glaciers just pop up out of nowhere? Well, they just did. That's how this planet grows, a series of catastrophes. Farewell to the Ice Age. Welcome to the Tree Age. Possibly. When the Ice Age was here, you lot managed to cook mammoth. Now there's a forest, you'll just have to eat nuts."

"I can't eat nuts," one of the boys remarked, "I've got an allergy."

"Don't worry," Clara set LJ down, "It's a thing he does. He pretends he's not interested and Evy keeps you calm till he has an idea. He's playing for time."

"Time…" the Doctor murmured, her words sparking something, "Interesting."

"See? Clever kicking in."

"A tree is a time machine," the Doctor began, "You plant a little acorn in 1795, and in the year 2016, there's an oak tree, there, in the same spot, with a tiny little bit of 1795 still alive inside of it. You can't create an overnight forest with extra special fertilizer. You have to mess with the fabric of time. And communicate with trees."

"And whoever might be communicating with them would have to transmit TO them," Evy nodded, "And we should be able to pick that up."

The Doctor grinned and ran into the TARDIS, Evy following with LJ, Clara instantly behind them and gesturing for the children to follow, all of them doing so though Danny appeared hesitant, waiting till the last second to enter the box after the others.

"So are we really going with the act of aggression thought?" Clara asked the Time Lords as she followed them up to the console, Evy placing LJ in his pen before joining them, the boy loudly shouting at the other children to lure them over so he could show off his various toys and play with them, "That someone told the trees to grow?"

"It doesn't have to be aggression," Evy remarked, "Trees, as far as we know, are normally benign, cleaning the air, giving shade and wood and fruit…if it was meant to be aggression, there are other ways to overrun the earth."

"Hold on, this happened before, didn't it?" Clara frowned, thinking, "There was that thing…ATMOS," she snapped her fingers, getting it, "It was meant to end emissions and clear the atmosphere, but then it just went mad, started to poison everyone…is that what this is? Is someone trying to scrub the atmosphere before colonizing or invading?" she frowned when she saw them staring at her, "What?"

"Well, that was a very informed and logical deduction, very clever and very astute, well done," the Doctor began.

"But…"

"ALL the children Clara?" Evy laughed, "Not that we mind," she looked around at half the students, mostly the boys, examining and investigating the room, while the girls cooed around LJ, the smug little boy soaking up the attention, "Wouldn't it have been better to come here on your own and bring Maebh back?"

"I couldn't leave them with Mr. Pink," Clara remarked.

"Why not?"

Clara sighed, "He already thinks I don't care about the kids because I was talking to you instead of the school, if I left him there I'd probably get the sack."

"Well that's not fair," the Doctor frowned.

"Honestly?" Clara sighed, "I might not even mind it, finally have time to travel, stay with you and the Cap'n more…"

"But you do enjoy the children, and you're not ready to give it up yet," Evy finished for her.

"Yeah."

"Then we'll get this all sorted out and get everyone home safe."

Clara smiled at that, "Thank you."

"What are the round bits for?" one of the other boys shouted, half up the stairs and poking at the walls.

"Ask your teacher," the Doctor muttered, before realizing the children were quite literally starting to poke and press things they shouldn't, "Oi! Come on! Down from there! Hey! Away from the console. Come on. That's an antique. Get away from there! Don't touch that!"

Evy chuckled and moved to help usher some of the children away, "What were you saying about having more children in the TARDIS dear?" she smirked at him.

"On second thought, LJ is fine," he grumbled, trying to undo the damage the children had caused with pushing the buttons around the console, "Honestly!" he huffed at the children, turning to face them, "Haven't any of you been struck by the fact that it's bigger on the inside?"

One of the girls shrugged, "There wasn't a forest. Then there was a forest. Nothing surprises us anymore."

Evy laughed and patted his shoulder as he nearly pouted, his favorite line now being passed over twice by the children, "Come on, dear, the sooner we sort this the sooner we get our TARDIS back. Now," she looked at Clara, "What do we know?"

"The trees all appeared at once," Clara stated, "So it's not a coincidence."

The Doctor snapped and pointed at her, "There's no such thing as an arboreal coincidence. Something…someone has coordinated this."

"And to coordinate, you need to communicate," Evy agreed, turning to put a command into the console, pulling a lever, "Now every communication channel on the TARDIS is active and receiving…" she paused a moment listening, "But there's nothing."

The Doctor glanced over, seeing Danny picking up a small exercise book that Clara had left in a little pile on his workbench, and another thought struck him, recalling that he'd skimmed through a few of them to comment on Clara's markings, and now one was jumping out at him, "Except…" he hurried over and snatched the booklet from Danny, "Let me see that," he glanced at the name, nodding, "Maebh Arden," he looked around, "Which one is Maebh Arden? Which one's Maebh?" he moved to the middle of the girls by his son, "Maebh?" he eyed them, but…Maebh wasn't there.

"Oh no…" Evy closed her eyes, wanting to slap herself for the oversight. She had been right behind the Doctor, Maebh had been right behind her, or she'd thought the girl had been. She thought Maebh had been running after her, had mixed in with the children as they'd entered the TARDIS…but she hadn't, had she? She wasn't there at all!

"Oh, my God!" one of the girls gasped, "Maebh's gone. Maebh's lost in the forest. Maebh's going to die!"

"Ruby, that's enough," Clara hushed, turning to the Time Lords, "Doctor? Evy?"

"We've got to find her," the Doctor agreed.

"Yes, I know that we have to find her," Clara stepped up to them, speaking quietly, "Listen to me. Her sister went missing last year. She's on medication. The child is barely functioning. She hears voices. She's very vulnerable…"

"What do the voices say?" Evy frowned at that.

"I don't know," Clara shook her head, "She takes tablets and they stop."

"Oh you never want to do that," Evy murmured, if there had been a pill to stop the voices in her head while she'd been at the Mason Institute…she never would have found Ianto or Torchwood, never found the Doctor again. If there had been a pill to turn off the Doctor's voice in her head, turn off the Link, she never would have had her son.

"You people," the Doctor huffed, "You never learn. If a child is speaking, listen to it."

"Oh, like you listened to her?" Danny huffed.

"We clearly listened to her more than you lot did," Evy muttered, moving over to the console, to the scanner as the Doctor seemed to search for something on it, putting in some coordinates to check the sun…and there it was, on screen a massive solar flare bursting out of it, bubbling on the surface, "And there it is," she nodded, seeing in the Doctor's mind the image he'd found in Maebh's exercise book. The girl had drawn a picture of an angry sun sending out sparks at a forest, "And that's what the voices are, I'd guess. She's not really mad, her brain is just tuned to a slightly different wavelength," she glanced at Clara, telling her with a look that it was similar, not exact, but likened to how the Time Lords had different brainwaves than humans.

"She can lead us to the source," the Doctor added, "To the heart of the forest. We have to listen to her. We have to find her."

"Not everything can be fixed with a screwdriver," Clara warned them, "It's not a magic wand."

"She's got a phone hasn't she?" he asked, recalling seeing her watching it before.

"Well, yes, she does."

"Have you got the number?"

"Er…" Clara checked, "Yep."

"Sonic it," the Doctor instructed, nodding to Clara's sonic still in her hands, "It'll be able to track her."

Clara nodded and did so, her eyes widening as she saw a track pop up on her phone, "Five hundred yards south east of here."

"Right, then," Evy stepped up, "Clara, you and the Doctor go get her, Mr. Pink and I will stay here and keep watch on the children."

"What?" the Doctor looked at her, sounding almost like he was scoffing, "Why?"

"We can't let Danny and Clara go alone, or they have to take the children trekking through the woods. If Clara goes, either you can go with her, or you'd be stuck here with the children," she gestured at the kids all staring at him, "Your choice. I could just as easily go with Clara and…"

"No," he shook his head, really not wanting to stay there and deal with the mess of children right now, he'd only had to shoo them away once and it was already irritating him, and…Evy WAS offering to stay instead, so she couldn't be too put out if he left her with them, "No, you're right, Clara and I will go get Maebh."

"Good then, off you pop," she turned the two and led them to the doors, lightly pushing them outside and shutting it. She brushed off her hands and stepped back up to the console, "Now," she smiled at Danny, "I do believe it's time you and I had a little chat, Mr. Pink."

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Danny...I wonder what Evy will say to him? }:) I actually wasn't big on this episode for this series, even with the confrontations to come for Danny :/ But I hope you enjoyed the chapter :)
> 
> Next chapter...Danny gets a talking to, topics of humanity are discussed, and even more vicious animals should really NOT be pets(!) ;)


	20. In the Forest of the Night (Part 2)

"Um…" Danny shifted a bit, "What about?"

"Clara," Evy stated.

"Oooh…" some of the children started to giggle, clearly thinking about Danny and Clara and how they HAD to be a couple or something.

Evy shook her head at them and turned back to Danny, "I've learned enough from past confrontations with Clara to learn the entire story, not just one side, before I say anything. I know what Clara's told me of your tiff, which isn't much to begin with, so I'd like to hear it from you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Evy crossed her arms and gave him a look, "Nothing wouldn't make Clara shout at us and ignore our son," she countered, "Try again. This all happened after you encountered the Blitzer, start from there."

"It's really none of your business," Danny tried to change the subject, "It's between Cl…Miss Oswald and I and we've already talked about it and we're sorting it."

"If you were sorting it, she'd be talking to you."

"I don't know what you want me to say!" he threw his hands out to the side.

"Clara told you what she was," Evy began, "I've gathered you reacted badly to it."

"Of course I did," Danny huffed, "You go weeks, months even, thinking one of your best mates is…is Welsh," he tried to explain, glancing at the children, letting Evy know he was trying not to bring up what Clara was without Clara's consent, not wanting the children to realize their teacher was an alien if she didn't want them to which clearly she didn't, "And then you find out she's…she's Scottish."

"Scottish, really?" Evy had to chuckle at that, amused, but knowing he was referring to the Doctor.

"Is Miss actually Scottish?" one of the boys asked, having heard them.

"I…"

"Is THAT why Miss is so cross with you?" one of the other girls crossed her arms, "You don't like Scottish people?"

"That's rude."

"My gran was born in France, but she grew up in London, it doesn't matter to me if she was French first, she's still my gran."

Danny blinked at that, at how simple the children were making it, "I don't not like Scottish people," Danny offered, glancing more at Evy for that, "I just…"

"Haven't met many?" Evy guessed, "I could tell," she moved to lean on the console beside Danny, "The Doctor, me, LJ, the Captain, and the Blitzer, yeah?" she ticked off on her fingers, "And four of them are just one family, four the same species, so really only 2."

"I suppose," Danny shrugged, lowering his voice to keep it more private.

"And what, did you think she was suddenly going to…sound Scottish or…act Scottish?" she used his codeword to make it easier.

"I dunno what she was going to do."

"Because you don't know a thing about…Scottish people," she offered, smiling even as she shook her head at him, "You don't know what we're like, so how could you possibly know if Clara would change at all?" she reasoned, "You saw us once, you barely spoke to us, you have no idea at all what we've been through or what our lives are. Do you even know why we live here?" she gestured around, "In our ship instead of on our planet?"

Danny shook his head.

"Because it's gone. Our entire planet is gone, this old box is all we have left," she reached out to pat the rotor, "What's more, the Doctor, LJ, and I…we're all that's left of our people. Till we found Clara, till she became like us. It's not good to judge anyone based on what they are."

"But she wasn't always Scottish," Danny argued.

"Were you always a soldier?"

"What?" he blinked, startled.

"A soldier can always recognize another soldier," she murmured, "Were you born a soldier? Raised a soldier? Or did you choose to become one? ARE you one now when you weren't before? Would you ever take it back? Stop being one? Wish you never had been one?"

Danny was silent a moment, "It's not the same thing."

"You're right, it's not," she agreed, "You CHOSE to be a soldier, Clara didn't choose to be Scottish, it happened to her, and it is something she is trying to accept, struggling to understand, and doing her damnedest to try and live with. Having people looking at her like she's not Clara doesn't help her. She'll always be Clara, whether she's Welsh or Scottish or…Bulgarian."

"What's Bulgarian?" Danny actually chuckled at that, "A mermaid?"

"She could be," Evy shrugged, "She could be anything at all and it will never change that she's Clara. Maybe you should start to think of her as just that, and learn everything else when it comes?" she suggested.

"I suppose," Danny repeated.

"And, for that matter, maybe try to get to know US a little more too," Evy added, "I think you'd be surprised at just how human and how much humanity we have."

Danny winced at that, "She told you about that?"

"Eventually," Evy nodded, "I'm not happy you said that to her Danny, but Clara doesn't need me to fight her battles for her. All I can say to that, as it implied neither I nor my Link nor son had any humanity, is that you're not the only ones out there. There are…so many worlds where there are…Welshmen," she nudged him, "Exactly the same as you, but without any humanity at all. Some with even more than you. Humanity isn't what makes you…Welsh, it's just what makes you a good person. Get to know us and you may see that we're good, sane people, nice Scotsmen, in the end. Well," she considered that, "The Doctor's a bit mad, but…my brother was as well and he was NOT a good person in the end. So that probably wasn't the best to add, probably should have just ended with being good people…"

"I get it," Danny cut in gently, "I…was just…hurt. Clara kept so much of herself from me and I always thought of her as one of my best mates. What did it mean for what she thought of me that she didn't tell me something like that?"

"We've had other…Welshmen travel with us, that didn't even tell their own families what they were up to," Evy remarked, "It doesn't make them bad people, just…this whole thing, this entire life we live, can be overwhelming and dangerous. Sometimes not telling people the truth is what keeps them safe. We have…a lot of enemies," she sighed, "If any of them found out that Clara was close enough to you and trusted you enough to share the fact that she was actually Scottish with you, what do you think they'd do to you?"

"Capture me, interrogate me, and use me as bait," he answered with no hesitation, because he had seen it happen before, "She was just trying to protect me?"

"I can't answer why she did or didn't say, that's for her to tell you, all I can do is offer you another perspective and possibility for why," she eyed Danny, "Clara really was hurt that you reacted like that. She knows you were startled, but…the things you said did hurt her, telling her that she would forget she was Welsh if she tried to be too Scottish. Things like that don't just disappear overnight."

"You're right," Danny nodded, "I think…I think there was fault on both sides," he murmured, "But I…I really would like to talk to Clara about it and really SORT it this time."

"Then start by treating her like CLARA again," Evy patted him on the shoulder, "She's got a big heart. TWO of them now," she laughed a bit, "She'll forgive you if you show her you're genuinely sorry."

"I am," he told her, "To her AND to you, and the Doctor, and your son. I am sorry I reacted like I did."

"Reactions are hard to control," she pushed off the console to face him, "It's what comes after you've had time to process that counts. So make it count."

"I will," he smiled.

"Good, I'm glad that's settled," Evy moved over to the pen and lifted LJ out, "Because we need to go."

"What?" Danny blinked, "I thought we were staying here."

"We were," Evy nodded, "Till I started thinking about the fact that I just let the Doctor and Clara out alone and…well, the Doctor does not have the best track record of luck. I give them ten, maybe fifteen minutes before he's started a forest fire or run into a bear."

"Bear!" LJ grinned up at her, "Lions and tigers and bears! Please!"

"No," she shook her head, "No, I'm sorry dear, but no tigers or bears or lions for pets," she glanced over at Danny and the kids, "Come on," and led them to the doors.

Evy stepped out of the TARDIS, holding the door open for the children to file out, Danny with them, amusedly watching a particular girl in the front practically marching ahead of the others.

"Thank goodness she has some sense," the girl huffed, gesturing at Evy who bit back a laugh at the remark, "I'm not just going to stand here and let her die either!"

"Who?" Danny shook his head, utterly confused.

"Miss!" the girl rolled her eyes, "You let her go off with some randomer into the forest. You're supposed to be madly in love with her."

"I'm…what?" he gaped at them, he'd heard the whispers that he and Clara were 'together' and in love, but hearing how much the children believed it was throwing him off…and he was starting to get the feeling they should have set the children straight much earlier than this, "Who said that?"

"Everyone."

"Everyone thinks you and Clara are an item?" Evy tried, truly tried to keep the smile off her face at that.

"They're going to get married one day!" the same girl defended.

"No!" LJ stomped his little feet, reaching out to poke Danny in the leg, "MY Clara! Mine!"

"We'll he's not wrong," Danny mumbled, thinking about what Clara had said about the boy when he'd be all grown up, "Ok, look," he turned to the class, "Miss Oswald and I are NOT together, we are not dating, we won't be getting married, we are not in love. We are JUST friends."

"That's what they ALL say," the girl rolled her eyes.

"She has a bloke of her own…" Danny tried to explain.

"Then you gotta fight for her!" one of the other boys called, "Win her back!"

"They're in love," he stressed, "Clara, Miss Oswald, she loves him very much and he makes her very happy. I'm her friend," he looked at Evy, giving her a nod of reassurance that he really was, "And I'm happy to be," he added, before he turned to the children, "Which means you lot need to leave off the 'Ozzy loves the Squaddie' yeah?"

"We won't be able to," the first girl sighed.

"And why's that now?"

"Cos she's probably dead now anyway," the boy that had spoken agreed, "Crushed by Nelson!"

"What if the trees collapse on her, and kill her?" the other girl gasped.

Danny shook his head, "You're worrying too much."

"Yeah, but what if the wild animals come out and eat her?"

"Ruby, you're letting your imagination run away with you…"

"I'm not, though, am I, because I haven't got an imagination. You can ask Miss Oswald."

Evy looked over, the children falling quiet as a soft sniffling sounded, "Oh, LJ," she crouched down, opening her arms for her son to run into, the boy starting to cry, "Shhh," she patted his back, "It's alright, it's ok…"

"Clara," LJ whimpered, "And daddy!"

She nodded, understanding he was worried for them, the children and their wild imaginations had gotten to him, made him fear the worst, "Now, you know the things your father's seen in the past," she pulled away, reaching up to wipe his tears away, "It would take more than a forest to stop him, and Clara'll protect him when we're not there to," she winked, "Just like she protects you when mummy and daddy aren't there, yeah?"

LJ sniffed, a frown still on his face, "I want daddy."

She leaned in and pressed a kiss to his forehead, a testament to how worried and upset he was that he didn't try to wipe it away or grimace at it, "Then let's go get him," she stood, LJ in her arms, "This way," she turned to lead the children on.

"How do you know?" the girl, Ruby, called even though they followed her.

"I've got GPS right here," she tapped her head, "I always know where the Doctor is."

"Cool," one of the boys smirked, which just set more of the children asking her about how that worked, Evy smiling as she answered them as best she could.

Yes, it was probably a good thing SHE had stayed with the children, she'd always had more patience than the Doctor.

~8~

"12 times," Evy answered, telling the children about how many times she and the Doctor could 'change their faces' as, somehow, the topic had gotten from mental GPS to telepathy to Time Lord brains, then their anatomy, their species, and that had led to an explanation of regeneration. Truly, she probably shouldn't be speaking to them of it, telling them all about what Time Lords were like, but she could see Danny listening intently, trying to learn as much as he could as well, to be able to understand what Clara was so that he could get back to seeing her as WHO she was, "A cycle."

"Cycle?" Ruby asked, sounding so intent that Danny seemed shocked she was paying such close attention.

"We are born with a regeneration cycle," Evy explained, "Our High Council…our government," she supplied, "Could extend that if they wished, had ways of gifting an entirely new cycle to those at the end of their own, could take regenerations if they wished, add to them…"

She trailed off suddenly, stilling in her walk, causing the others to do the same.

"What is it?" Danny frowned.

"If we run into bears…" she muttered to herself, shaking her head at how there had been 'lions' and now there were tigers, "The Doctor and Clara have found Maebh," she told them, turning to hurry to the left, having gotten a mental image of the tiger now approaching the trio as they huddled in the forest, "But a tiger has found them."

"A what!?" Danny hurried after her, trying to keep the kids behind him at the same time.

"The zoo, the trees have warped everything," Evy said quickly, moving in a slightly different direction, now able to hear the loud, throaty growl the tiger was giving just a few feet ahead of them, "The animals have escaped…there!"

They could see them through the trees now, the Doctor, Clara, and Maebh on one side of a small fence, the tiger across from them, snarling, seeming ready to jump.

"…good solid scientific reasons for being really quite frightened just now," the Doctor was muttering to Clara and Maebh.

Evy quickly focused, throwing out her arm and sending the tiger flying as far away as it could, hitting a tree trunk rather hard. Not enough to injure it, but enough to spook it and have it running off. She stumbled a bit as a sharp pain struck her head but kept going, "Doctor!" she called, rushing to his side.

"She just used telekinesis!" one of the boys exclaimed.

"Just like an X-Man!" another joined in.

"Awesome!" and a third.

"Evy," the Doctor turned to her, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw her, "LJ!" he reached out, taking his son from his Link's arms, the boy clinging to him as he patted the boy's back, leaning in to hug his Link tightly. He pulled away, his thumb automatically trailing under her nose to catch any blood that might have dripped from it, but there was none, "You should have stayed in the TARDIS," he chastised.

Evy shook her head at that, "And leave YOU to your own devices?" she scoffed, "Hardly."

He gave her a light chuckle and leaned in to kiss her, ignoring the 'oooohing' the children did behind them.

"Mr. Pink," Clara greeted, panting just a bit from the fright of the tiger, but not sure what else to say. She could guess that Evy had led them all there, and they wouldn't have just left the one man in the TARDIS with all the children and trusted that nothing would happen, they would have HAD to go with her.

"Miss Oswald," Danny gave her a tentative smile, "Are you ok?"

Clara blinked at that, at the tone in his voice, it sounded genuine, not forcibly polite, but…friendly, almost apologetic. She gave him a small nod and glanced at Evy, who just winked at her and gave an encouraging nod.

"We need to get back to the TARDIS," the Doctor began, looking at them all, "See if we can't get any…" he trailed off when LJ started to wave, "Um…boyo?" he looked at Evy for explanation of why their son was now waving both his hands frantically.

Evy looked over and spotted that he was waving at Maebh who was looking into the air and flicking her hands around her, like she was trying to swat something away. LJ seemed to think she was waving and was trying to respond back.

"Maebh?" Evy frowned at her.

"Has she had her medication yet?" Danny looked at Clara.

"No," Clara shook her head, "I…"

"No, no," Evy cut in, holding up a hand to stop Clara as she moved forward to try and give the girl her tablets, "Don't give her them."

"We don't want to shut her up," the Doctor agreed, "We want to know what she knows," he gently set LJ down and crouched before Maebh, "Maebh, what's the…Maebh, what is this?" he mimicked her swatting motions, "What is this?"

"After all of this, the tiger, that box, the trees, I think she's allowed any nervous tics she likes," Danny frowned, glancing at Clara, seeing her holding the tablet container but not opening it, "Clara…" as much as he might be trying to accept all this, he was still a teacher and responsible for the kids and they had to come first, and Maebh needed her medication.

"Trust me," Evy glanced at him, "This is NOT a nervous tic. She's…"

"Please!" Ruby cut in, seeing Maebh getting a bit more jerky in her motions and frantic, "Just give her her tablets. She's been in a state since her sister went missing!"

Seemingly at the mention of her sister, Maebh took off, running through the woods.

"Maebh!" Danny called after her as they all raced for the girl, the Doctor scooping LJ into his arms as they hurried.

"You won't find your sister out there!" Ruby shouted after her.

But Maebh ignored her, zigzagging through the woods, around the trees and down to a small clearing that had a series of small trees covered in cobwebs along the edges, the setting sun catching on the webs and creating a lovely sight. Yet Maebh didn't seem to realize or notice any of it, now swatting at the air more viciously than before, her expression even more pained.

"Miss?" Ruby gasped to Clara and Evy as well, "What is it, miss?"

"It's coming," Maebh scrunched her face, "It's coming for everyone, and I can't unthink it!"

"Maebh," Evy glanced at the Doctor before stepping closer to the girl, crouching down before her, "Maebh, I understand, you can hear the trees talking, can't you?" she didn't bother to reach out and take Maebh's hands, knowing that to restrain someone could make them worse, "You can hear something that no one else can, I know what that feels like. And I know you're not mad, you don't need pills or people telling you that, you just need to let it out. Maebh tell us what they're saying. Tell us who did this…"

"It was me. _I_ did this. I did these trees."

"No," the Doctor shook his head, bobbing LJ in his arms, not about to let the boy try to touch any of the trees in the center of the forestation, "Maebh, you didn't make a global forest appear overnight. How could you do that?"

"Thoughts come to me. Ever since Annabel went missing, I look for her everywhere. I don't find her, but I find thoughts. The big forest was one. I thought everyone would love it. The thoughts! The thoughts! They go so fast," she started to gasp, backing away as she swatted at the air, seeming about to cry.

"This is stressing me now," one of the boys muttered, "When I get stressed, I forget my anger management."

"Maebh," Clara frowned, "Can you see something that we can't see?"

"Nearly," Maebh nodded, "Too fast. Everywhere…"

"Then we just have to slow them down," Evy nodded, pulling out her sonic…

"You're not experimenting on her are you?" Danny hesitated to speak, but wanted to understand what was happening.

"She just said she's slowing the thoughts down," Clara gave him a firm look, "Not that she's going to do anything to Maebh."

Danny nodded at that, falling silent as Evy flicked her sonic on, pointed up in the air, and…little specks of golden light appeared before all their eyes, whizzing about around Maebh's head, exactly where she had been swatting, the speed of them slowing down.

Maebh smiled as she finally saw them, "They're lovely!" but her smile fell quickly as she looked at Evy, "They don't like it when you're holding them. They want you to let them go."

"Who are they?" the Doctor eyed them, searching his mind for any recollection of such an alien to be found on Earth or create forests.

Maebh squinted at the lights, trying to understand what they were saying, "We are Here. Here, always, since the beginning…and until the end."

Evy frowned at how Maebh's voice slowly started to be overpowered by a deep timbre, the voice of the Here it appeared, her light voice just fading away as they used her to speak, much like the Androzoni Forests had used the Artwells, "The Here?" she repeated.

"We are the green shoots that grow between the cracks," Maebh continued, "The grass that grows over the mass graves. After your wars are over, we will still be Here. We are the life that prevails."

"Why now?" the Doctor set LJ down, stepping forward to crouch before Maebh with Evy, keeping a hold on his son's hand as the boy tried to catch some of the Here, "Why are you here now?"

"We hear the call and we come, as we came before to the great North Forest, where we lie still in a great circle. As we came to the vast Southern Forest."

"Who is calling you now?"

"The sun that creates. The sun that destroys. You are hurting us," Maebh frowned, looking at Evy, "Let us go."

"One more question, and I will," she crossed her hearts, "Did you seek us out?" she asked it, wondering if the Here knew of them, if they'd been targeted, "Did you send Maebh to find us?"

"We did not send. Pain," she winced, "Did not send for you. We don't know you. We were here before you and will be here after you."

Evy nodded and flicked her sonic, releasing the Here so they moved so quickly they disappeared once more.

"That was actually quite cool," one of the boys murmured behind them.

Evy quickly reached out to catch Maebh as she fell to her knees, "I understand that too," she murmured to the girl, "It's difficult processing the voices in your head…especially when they're ridiculously LOUD and don't STOP talking," she shot the Doctor a fond smile despite her words, making him chuckle.

"Maebh," the Doctor reached out to take the girl's hand, "You came looking for the Doctor. Think. Who sent you for the Doctor?"

"It was just a thought," Maebh shrugged, not seeming eager to unsettle herself from Evy's hold just yet, "It was just a thought that came. I think it came from Miss," she nodded at Clara, before frowning up at the air, "They've gone. Why does everything have to go?"

"Doctor," Clara stepped forward, "Help me examine the trees?" she nodded at the ones covered in cobwebs, pulling her sonic out. He nodded, handing off LJ to Evy as he went with Clara to the edge of the clearing.

"Yes?" he asked, knowing she hadn't just brought that up for no reason, because there really wasn't anything they could learn from those trees that they hadn't through their trek through the forest. He would be they were just as fire-repellent as the ones further back, they'd accidently walked across some men trying to burn the trees down to clear a path but the tree hadn't even started to smoke.

"This really is going to happen, isn't it?" Clara murmured to him.

"Stars implode. Planets grow cold. Catastrophe is the metabolism of the universe," he nodded, "Evy and I, we can fight monsters. We can't fight physics."

"Cos that would be impossible?" Clara looked at him hopefully.

"Too impossible," he shook his head, knowing she'd been asking if there was some chance that it would all be saved and fixed because right now it looked like the trees were intent to invade and take over, that they were just preparing for the solar flare, one of the greatest to hit the Earth in recent years, to wipe out the humans so it could be the only being left, but it appeared he didn't even think she or Evy would be able to finagle a trick out of this, "Why would trees want to kill us? We love trees."

The Doctor scoffed, "Humans have been chopping them down for furniture for centuries. If that's love, no wonder they're calling down fire from the heavens."

"But we saw the future. Lots of futures. Earth's futures."

"They're about to be erased."

Clara frowned at that, "There HAS to be something we can do," she argued, "We need to go back to the TARDIS," she decided, "I refuse to believe this is too impossible."

The Doctor shook his head at her words, feeling the hopelessness of the situation, but had to smile at her determination, "Trying to save your moon?" he asked, though his words weren't chastising or negative, but more a tease about a past issue she'd had.

She nodded, "Yes," she said firmly, "My moon, your moon, anyone's moon on any planet, I would try to save and I wouldn't stop till it was the very end."

The Doctor chuckled at that, "Humanity at its best."

Clara just smiled at that.

~8~

The Doctor, Evy, and Clara walked their way back to Trafalgar Square at the back of the procession of children, Danny leading them in the front. LJ was walking between Evy and Clara, holding their hands as the Doctor carried Maebh in his arms, the poor girl still worn out from the Here speaking through her…as well as a precaution to make sure she wouldn't go running off again. They slowed to a stop when they saw the TARDIS was almost entirely covered with Ivy, which prompted Danny to get the kids working to pull it all down.

"I could have just burned that off leaving," the Doctor muttered, seeing it as a bit of a waste of time, all things considered.

"Let them have their fun," Clara murmured, smiling at the kids.

"Maebh," Evy looked over at the girl, resting a hand on her back to get her to look over, "We're sorry we didn't hear you before when you tried to tell us what was happening. We should have been able to help you earlier."

"You helped me loads!" Maebh argued, "I thought it was all my fault," she smiled, "I feel much better now," she pulled away a bit, resting her hands on the Doctor's shoulders to brace herself, looking between the three of them, "Are you going to get rid of the forest?"

Clara smiled sadly, still trying to work out how to do it, "Hard to get rid of a flame-proof forest, Maebh, eh?" she reached out to help the girl down, "Come on," and lead her to the other children.

"Flame-proof forest," the Doctor sighed, rubbing a hand down his face.

When Evy blinked, "A _flame-proof_ forest."

And the Doctor's eyes widened, "A thousand atom bombs and no one hurt, oh I am Doctor Idiot!"

"What?" LJ frowned up at them, completely lost.

"Come on," Evy scooped him up, the two of them running towards the TARDIS.

"In!" the Doctor shouted, "Everybody in! In, in, in!" he ushered them into the box, though he dashed past them to get to the monitor, checking the time for the solar flare he'd been hearing about as Evy placed LJ in his pen.

"What is it?" Clara hurried up to join him at the monitor, "What?"

"There!" the Doctor tapped the screen, showing the sun, "It's there on the screen, look. Big solar flare headed this way. A thousand kilometers a second. Coronal mass ejection. Geomagnetic storm. It's _huge_. It's brewing up a solar wind big enough to blow this whole planet away!"

Evy shook her head at him as the room fell silent, all the children staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths at what he'd said, "Which won't actually happen," she shot the Doctor a meaningful look, "Because we have a flame-proof forest."

Clara frowned, "On the cusp here," she shook her head, knowing she should be making the connection, but it was eluding her.

"Ok, look," the Doctor turned to the monitor, starting to show her images of past events, not just wanting to blurt out what it was but let Clara figure it out herself, "The Tunguska Blast, 1908. That should have blown the whole planet off its axis, but it didn't. It knocked a few trees over. Well, a few tens of thousands of trees over. Curuçá in Brazil. Same story. Earth should have been smashed, but it wasn't. What do these things have in common?"

"They're really, really scaring us?" Ruby offered.

"No," Evy shook her head, "Think Clara, I just said it…massive flames descending on Earth, but we have…"

"Tree!" LJ called.

And Clara gasped, getting it, "Flame-proof trees! The trees! They were there too weren't they?"

"Bingo!" the Doctor pointed at her, "Whenever there's a planet-threatening, extra-terrestrial impact, _trees_. Massive forest, filling the atmosphere with oxygen. Pumping it up like a massive, highly inflammable airbag, so that when trouble hits…"

"Everyone dies," one of the boys offered as an answer.

Evy looked at Clara, "Who's their science teacher?"

Clara winced at that, knowing that, if the students had been taught properly they'd understand what an inflammable airbag did, "She's set to leave end of this year."

"Good," Evy muttered, "Call up the Captain, he might want to try his hand at teaching physics…"

"No!" Clara's eyes widened, "I mean…no, no, it's alright," she laughed it off tensely, "He's got better things to…"

"He already impersonated a physics teacher, didn't he?" Evy guessed.

"Yes. Yeah he did."

"And didn't blow up the school?"

"Partly, blew up the lab."

"Thank god he got a bit of me in him then," Evy muttered.

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed, "You two, back to point, please?" he rolled his eyes though he was pleased to learn his son would one day try his hand at physics teacher too, "To answer," he pointed at the students, "The impact burns off the excess oxygen. You have some fairly hectic weather for a few days and some fairly trippy looking sunsets, but apart from that, you will be alright. We were wrong. The trees are not your enemy. They're your shield."

"They've been around from the start," Evy agreed, "Just as the Here said, they come when you need them and they protect you."

"The wide ring," Clara murmured, "The red ring. In the museum, Ruby saw a cross-section of a tree. One of the rings was wider than the others, and _red_."

"That would be atmospheric dust," Evy nodded, "Captured by the trees."

"The fingerprint of an asteroid!" the Doctor cheered, "Happy Red Ring Day."

"I don't get it," Ruby frowned, making them look over, "If they're good, then why are we chopping them down?"

"What?" Evy blinked.

"The Government are sending out defoliating teams," Danny agreed, pulling out his phone to show them the news report, "They're dropping chemicals on them right now."

"What is it with you people?" the Doctor huffed, "You hear voices, you want to shut them up. The trees come to save you, you want to chop them down."

"Or you think you need to save the world when it's already saving itself," Clara teased.

"I did admit that I was wrong," the Doctor countered with a roll of his eyes.

"Brilliant," Evy smiled as she checked the TARDIS communication systems, "The mobile networks are still operative."

"Going to take a leaf out of the Sarah Jane's book then?" the Doctor moved over to her.

She nodded, "We are going to call every person on Earth and tell them to leave the trees alone."

"Can I do it?" Maebh raised her hand, "I started it. I should finish it."

The Doctor opened his mouth to tell her she didn't actually start anything, but Evy gave him a look and a shake of the head, telling him to let the girl help, "Ok," he nodded, "Ok, class project. Save the Earth."

~8~

"Ok!" Maebh called a short while later, the Time Lords and Danny having watched the children gather together to create a speech for Maebh to announce to the world, "And I think that's it," she smiled at the aliens. The Doctor nodded and leaned over to the console, flicking a switch to activate the call while Evy lowered a small microphone to Maebh's height, "Essential services have been disrupted due to an unexpected forest," Maebh began, "We'd like to reassure you that the situation will be rectified very soon. Please don't be scared. And please don't chop, spray, or harm the trees. They're here to help. Be less scared. Be more trusting. Oh, and Annabel Arden, please come home."

The Doctor nodded, ending the call, "Ok, who would like to witness a once in a billion years solar event at close quarters?" he clapped his hands.

Maebh, however, gasped, "Mum!" she pointed at the monitor in front of her, showing the image of the forest just outside the box, a woman on a bike trying to make her way through, "There's my mum!" she turned and ran out of the box, Danny hurrying after her to stand in the doorway and watch the girl reunite with her mother.

"So," Clara laughed, looking at the children, "Trip to space, anyone?"

LJ's arm immediately shot up and started waving in eager anticipation.

But the other children were less than excited.

"I want my mum," Ruby admitted.

Another little boy nodded, "I slightly want my mum, too."

"Mr. Pink?" Clara glanced at him as he walked back, leaving Maebh with her mother, "What do you think? Wouldn't it be an educational opportunity?"

Danny shook his head, a small smile on his face as he realized what she was doing, testing him for his reaction, "It would be," he agreed, "But I think they've got enough education, eh?" the kids nodded, "So you go," he told her, "I'll take them."

"Really?" she crossed her arms, "No other thoughts about Coronal ejections? Geomagnetic storms? Bigger-on-the-inside box?"

"Oh…I do have thoughts, and questions," he admitted, "But I hope that can be for another time. If…if you're agreeable to that, Miss Oswald."

Clara gave him a small smile, "Call me Clara," she offered, accepting without saying his request to really TALK about all of this later.

The Time Lords just smiled at that.

~8~

The small group of Time Lords stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, looking down at the earth from space, watching and waiting for the solar flare to hit, observing the Earth in the moments before, the planet seeming to have an almost green glow around it.

"I hope we're right," the Doctor murmured, "It would be slightly awkward if the world was destroyed at this point…"

Clara snorted and shook her head, "I'm not worried."

"No?" Evy glanced at her.

Clara looked between them, "The two of you? And your massive brains?" she tapped her own head, "Earth couldn't be safer."

The Doctor and Evy looked at each other over her head, smiling, looking back only when LJ started to clap from where he was standing with his arm wrapped around Evy's leg for stability, seeing the flare reach the earth, but only serving to spark the extra oxygen that the trees had produced, much like when the Sontarans had tried to invade the earth, dissipating it later as it flowed past the planet.

"And there goes the planet-sized airbag," the Doctor nodded, "That's the trees, harvesting the solar fire."

"Is it safe to go down there now?" Clara asked, knowing that in the middle of the solar flare wouldn't be a good time to travel down.

Evy just reached out and shut the doors.

~8~

The Doctor laughed as he stood with LJ on his shoulders, Evy beside him and Clara on his other side, watching the sunset from the balcony of Clara's flat. The trees were starting to disappear now, vanishing in a shower of golden specks, freeing the roads and buildings they'd covered and leaving a healthy Earth in view.

"That is amazing," Clara breathed, "How will they explain this tomorrow?"

"Well, the humans are likely to forget it ever happened," Evy mused.

Clara frowned, "They are _not_ going to forget an overnight forest no matter how much the Doctor might think their brains are made of pudding."

"They forgot the last time," the Doctor defended, "They remembered the fear and put it into fairy stories. It's a human superpower, forgetting."

"Something I don't have anymore," Clara remarked in thought.

"You could forget if you want to forget," Evy shook her head, "Anyone can forget anything if they want to bad enough."

"The humans, it'll be more automatic for them," the Doctor amended, "If they remembered how things felt, they'd have stopped having wars. And stopped having babies," he patted his son's leg.

The four of them just looked out, watching the golden glow spread across the earth as far as they could see.

"Pretty," LJ sighed, happy.

"That it is," Clara nodded.

It was beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was debating having Evy really blow up at Danny, but I felt like, after the Moon, she'd be more aware that what other people think and what she thinks are sometimes very different and want to get his view of it first. That and I can't see her just screaming at him in front of the children. She struck me as a more patient person, less quick to get really angry, and, as a mother (and dealing with LJ and the Doctor), I feel like she'd want to try talking first before the shouting. If Danny didn't start to back off and apologize, I think it would have escalated into shouting, but Danny seemed to be a little off-balance from Clara's own reactions to him and what the kids said to do that ;)
> 
> ...that's not to say other TLs in the future won't give him a louder and more vocal piece of their mind though }:)
> 
> Next chapter...how will Clara react to the death of Danny Pink? Are the TARDIS keys safe? What will Missy's reaction be to Evy and LJ? O.O


	21. Dark Water

Clara stood in the middle of her flat, a stack of index cards in her hand as she flipped through them, each of them with something written on them, some sort of topic she was going to bring up to Danny or even ask the Captain to clarify for both of them. Her head was pressed to her shoulder, her mobile wedged between her ear and arm.

"Danny," she greeted when he answered, "You almost here?"

"Yeah," Danny laughed, "I'm on my way now, just a few minutes away."

"Good, good," she nodded, absently flipping through the cards. There were things like Impossible Girl, Time Tunnel, Linking, Vastra, Jenny, JD, Robin Hood, Daleks, Dinosaurs, Karabraxos, TARDIS, Foretold, Time War, Star Whale, mixed in with Victorian London, Cold War, Ice Warriors, Akhaten, 'beware the wi-fi,' and so many other things, but starred was LJ/J/Cap'n.

She just…wanted to be open, she wanted to be able to talk to him about all of it, to tell him about the past adventures in detail, really explain what had happened that made her into a Time Lady, explain to him the Time Lords and the travelling. He was willing to listen too, she could tell now, he actually WANTED to know. And it was a relief, keeping all of this secret from her family, her students, her employers, it was nice to have at least one other person she could be honest with.

"Thank you," she lowered the cards, "Danny. Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, for coming to meet me at my flat and really talk. I'm going to call the Cap'n when you get here, after I can fill you in on a bit more," she started to smile, "Wait till you see HIS TARDIS, it's incredible. But that's not really important right now, I just…I really want you to know how much I appreciate this, that we're going to talk and that you're going to listen. It means a lot to me and…" she trailed off a moment, hearing nothing but the sounds of cars on the other side and realized Danny hadn't said anything in a while, "Danny? Danny are you there? Hello?!"

"Hello?" she blinked at that, at the woman's voice that had answered because that was NOT Danny, "Hello, is someone there?"

"Hello?" she shook herself from her shock, "Er, yeah. Who's this?"

"I just picked up the phone, I'm sorry. I found it."

"Oh, er, ok, um…can you please just put me back on the phone to Danny? I was talking to Danny."

When the woman sniffled, she knew something was wrong, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"What are you sorry about?" she swallowed hard, "Where's Danny?"

"He was crossing the road," the woman answered, "I found the phone, it must have just got thrown. The car, it just came out of nowhere. I'm so sorry…"

Clara stumbled backwards, falling to sit on the edge of her coffee table, her eyes wide as the phone fell from her ears…

She could hear it now, the sounds of the ambulance arriving, she could hear them shouting…

She could hear them declaring him deceased.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy were solemn and silent as they stood in the console room of the TARDIS, LJ in his bed for the night, but his older self standing before them, his entire posture and expression screaming of exhaustion and heartsbreak as he told them what happened to Danny Pink and how Clara was beside herself with guilt. She had called him, instantly, the moment after she'd processed what was going on, needing him to be there with her and he had gone, of course he had. Clara had been devastated, she felt so guilty about it all, because the only reason Danny had even been on that road or crossing that street was because he was coming to her flat to talk about everything and sort it all out. That was the only reason he'd been there, and it was because of her, and now he was dead.

He couldn't stand to see Clara so upset, he wanted to do something, anything to have her smiling again, to ease her guilt…but there was nothing he could do.

Nothing HE could do.

"He died?" Evy breathed, shaking her head at that.

"He did," the Captain nodded, "Clara's…devastated."

"I…I understand this is a terrible time for her boyo," the Doctor began, "But why come to us?"

The Captain sighed, "I set my TARDIS down the second that Clara was calling me, the moment I felt her pain…I set down too close. I…"

"Became a part of events," Evy realized.

He nodded, "I can't do anything to help her, or to…to try and save Danny, it's established events for me."

"And you were hoping it wasn't for us?" the Doctor frowned.

"I was," he looked at them, "I was hoping you two could find a way to change it, to…to bring Danny back or…"

"Sigma," Evy sighed, "There's a man dead now, we can't go back and stop it happening, not like that, not now that we KNOW, now that it's been established by other time travelers…"

"Time can be rewritten."

"With precision," the Doctor argued, "With great care. And not now," he looked at his son, pained, "You're upset, about Clara, it's understandable, but you KNOW we can't go back and save him."

The Captain let out a long breath, frustrated, "I know," he admitted, "I know, I know. If you two go back and change it and save him then I'm not here asking you to do it and you won't have to go back and save him and it'll all start all over again in a paradox loop. The timeline disintegrates. I just…she's hurting," he looked at them, tears in his eyes, his hand on the middle of his chest, between his hearts, "My Link is hurting and…and I'm just…useless. I'm not…I'm not like you mum," he looked at her, "I really am more like dad, I'm not an impossible boy. I just…I don't know what I can do to fix this without Clara's timeline disintegrating."

Evy blinked at that, "Clara's timeline…" she murmured, turning to the Doctor, "Do you remember when you were on that rubbish quest to find that thing under the bed?"

The Doctor blinked, "Vaguely."

Evy nearly snorted at that, how he chose not to really remember a less than successful trip, "We got mixed up on the way, instead of Clara's timeline we ended up in Danny's."

"Yes, and?"

"Orson Pink," she reminded him, "He existed, we met him, he entered the TARDIS, he's an established person. If Danny died here, if he was always meant to, wouldn't that mean that Orson could never have existed?"

The Doctor blinked at that, "Oh…"

Evy nodded, starting to smile and looked at her son, his eyes wide with hope, "It's a stretch," she warned him, "An impossible stretch, but…it might get us around the rules this once."

The Captain beamed at them, "Thank you."

~8~

Clara looked up from where she was sitting on the sofa of her flat, a cold cup of tea in her hands, just…staring at nothing in particular, her eyes a bit red. They had had an assembly at Coal Hill today, a remembrance dedicated to Danny and she'd managed to hold everything in through the day, but now…now that she was alone at her home, she just…god she felt so guilty and horrible.

The only reason Danny had gotten hit was that he'd been on his way to see HER, because she'd treated him so coldly and distantly just for having a bad reaction to her being a Time Lady now. And when she FINALLY agreed to talk to him and meet with him, she'd insisted he come to her flat, so that she could call the Captain there to really talk, to show him the man's TARDIS, to just…explain it all. She'd even talked to the Captain about it, gotten him to agree to let Danny be their first official companion. The man was hesitant at first, he wasn't very happy with Danny's reaction to finding out she was an alien now, but she'd talked to him, explained it, explained how Evy and she had settled their differences and how Danny seemed willing to listen and learn now, to maybe give it a go and see what had first drawn her into the wonders of TARDIS travel with a Time Lord.

She was going to ask Danny if he'd like to travel with them, go on at least one adventure, see the wonders of the Universe for himself, and then invite him to make it a more ongoing thing, really just show him how incredible it was, the amazing life that you got to have…

She closed her eyes tightly at that, it was something Danny wouldn't get now.

He was gone.

He was dead.

She looked up, hearing a wheezing noise and sniffled, quickly putting down her cup and standing as the TARDIS, the Doctor and Evy's TARDIS, appeared before her.

The doors opened and there they were, the Doctor and Evy standing in the doorway, the Doctor opened his mouth to say something to her…when LJ came barreling out from between their legs and hugged her own tightly just a moment, till he grabbed her hands, "Come on Clara!" he tugged her to the box, "Come, go!"

"Where are we going?" Clara shook her head, letting herself be pulled along though she didn't feel much like adventuring.

"Hell," the Doctor stated, the Time Lords closing the doors behind her.

"What?" Clara shook her head.

"He means…" Evy took a breath, "Clara…" she stepped up to her, taking Clara's hands as LJ hurried along to the console, the Doctor moving to join him, wanting to make sure their son didn't blow up the TARDIS on accident, "We know about Danny," she told Clara, the girl flinching at that, "And we want to help."

"You can't," Clara shook her head, "I remember enough to know you can't go back and save him or it's a paradox. You save him then you have no reason to next time, and he dies, and it loops," she took a sharp breath, "You can't go back."

"But we might be able to go forward," Evy countered.

Clara frowned, "What?"

"If Danny dies now, if he was always meant to, then Orson should have never existed," Evy reminded her, "But he did, which means…"

"Danny had to have survived, or…or come back or…"

"And that's where we're going," Evy nodded, "We're going to try something…completely new, we're going to see if we can find Danny, wherever he is now, wherever he might have gone after he died and…and bring him back."

"That's a hell of a stretch," Clara mumbled.

"Do you want us not to?" Evy asked.

"No, I mean…I mean, I do," Clara nodded, "He was coming to see ME," her face nearly crumbled at that, "He was crossing the road and talking to ME and he…" she cut off, "I just want to tell him I'm sorry, to…to bring him back. He shouldn't have…not because of me…I just…"

"I know," Evy stepped closer, hugging her tightly, "I know," she murmured.

"Thank you," Clara whispered, clinging to Evy, "Even if this doesn't work, thank you for trying. I…I need to at least be able to _try_."

"We know," Evy pulled back, reaching up to brush any stray tears that may have fallen from Clara's face before turning and leading her towards the console.

The Doctor looked at them a moment, getting a nod from Evy that everything was ok before speaking, "Almost every culture in the universe has some concept of an afterlife. I always meant to have a look around, see if I could find one…" he considered that, nodding to himself, "This is it, Clara, one of those moments."

"What moments?" Clara looked up from where LJ had come to hug her legs once more, seeming to sense she was upset even if she'd wiped her tears away.

"The darkest day. The blackest hour. Chin up, shoulders back. Let's see what we're made of," he looked from Clara to Evy to LJ and back to his Link, "Switching off the safeguards," he began, Evy nodding and moving to help him, "Turning off the nav-com."

"Clara," Evy called her over, "Remember last time, when we ended up in Danny's timeline?" Clara nodded, "We're going to plug you back into the telepathic interface, just…think of him and we'll try to find him."

"Thank you," Clara looked between them, "I don't deserve friends like you."

"Clara," the Doctor gave her a smile, "I'm terribly sorry, but we're exactly what you deserve, though," he glanced at LJ, now holding his mother's hand, and whispered to Clara, "You may want to save your thanks for your Link," he pulled back, winking at her.

Clara felt herself smile at that, knowing that the Captain had had a hand in this, had gotten this going. She could understand why he wasn't there, the timelines, he'd made himself a part of events and, for him, it was established, and having two TARDISes there, having two of himself, it might affect the timelines, especially with how delicate this was. He trusted his parents to be able to do this better and have a better shot at it all and she was so thankful he'd even thought to go to them and plead this with them.

So she took a breath and pressed her fingers into the squidgy part of the console, closing her eyes and focusing on Danny, trying to think about nothing but where he might be…

"It's working," Evy murmured beside her, the woman watching the rotor starting to move, "Just keep focused, Clara."

The Doctor hurried over to the other side of the console and pulled a lever, setting the TARDIS down, "Landed," he called.

Clara's eyes snapped open as she pulled her hands away from the console, "Where are we?"

He shook his head, "Nav-comm's offline. We'll have to do this old school."

"But this…this is where he is?"

"It might be," Evy amended, looking at the monitor, "According to this, this isn't where he is exactly, but it's the general area, it's where we're more likely to find it…" she frowned, "It's like there's too many other signals to push though, we'll have to search ourselves."

"Right then," the Doctor clapped, "Time to see what hell's all about."

"Say that word again, Doctor," Evy threatened lightly as they walked for the door, "We JUST got LJ to stop repeating Jack."

The Doctor winced at that, "Of course," he realized, moving to the doors and pulling them open, letting Evy and LJ out first, then Clara, and finally himself.

It appeared they'd parked in between two columns inside some sort of very wide, dark hall. There was a set of stairs just across from them, a large urn resting on a plinth at the top that had an eternal flame carved into it. The Doctor pulled out his sonic, using it as a torch to look around as the lights were truly very dim. They walked a few feet ahead, coming to a column with what appeared to be a logo inscribed into it in gold, 'Rest in Peace, We Promise' just below it. The logo was odd, like a circle with a smaller one just at the bottom side of it. Evy pulled out her sonic as well, turning to look down the halls, frowning when they saw that the walls appeared to be glass, separated into sections and filled with water.

"Fish tanks?" Clara guessed, shrugging, not sure what to make of it.

"In a mausoleum?" the Doctor scoffed, "Come on," he turned, leading them up the steps towards the urn.

"What does that mean?" Clara pulled out her own sonic and used it to shine on the urn, with the same logo and motto as down below.

"It means those are definitely not fish tanks," the Doctor muttered.

"I think I hear water this way," Evy looked to the right, glancing at the Doctor before leading the way.

"Fishy?" LJ squeezed Evy's hand as they walked along the hall, "Pet! Please?!"

Evy sighed, "Maybe," she offered, "After this is over, we'll talk about a fish."

"Ooh, wonderful," the Doctor smiled, "I know this little planet that sells miniature sharks and…" he trailed off as Evy gave him a look, "And goldfish too, goldfish as well."

Evy shook her head and focused back on where they were going, turning to flash her sonic on the tanks to the right side of the hall they'd entered, more like a gallery, and gasped, jumping back at the sight of _skeletons_ sitting on a chair inside the tank.

"Eves," the Doctor moved to her side, LJ hiding behind her legs because anything that could scare his mummy had to be scary indeed. He looked forward, peering at the skeletons, "It's fine…"

"It's NOT fine," she muttered, trying to get her breath back at the sight of them, ooh she hated skeletons, "WHY are there skeletons sitting on chairs? It had to be skeletons, didn't it? Why does it have to be skeletons? Why couldn't it just be monsters or Daleks? No, it had to be skeletons…"

"Our deepest apologies for the fright," a voice said behind them, making the trio turn around, the Doctor subtly pushing LJ behind his legs as they saw a woman in a Victorian themed dress walking towards them, dark haired and light eyed, "We do hope we did not frighten you to death though, if we had, you would be in the right place," she smiled, opening her arms wide to gesture around her, "Ever since 3W encountered the truth about the death experience, we have been working hard to find a better life for the deceased. At 3W, afterlife means aftercare. Hello. I hope you're well. How may I assist you with your death?"

"Well, there is, er, no immediate hurry," the Doctor eyed the woman who was just grinning at them, "We're just, er…we're just…"

"Browsing," Clara offered.

"Yeah, yeah, browsing."

"Please, take all the time you need," the woman nodded, "At 3W, you always have the rest of your life."

"Oh, good," the Doctor nodded, "That's good to know, isn't it Eves?" he glanced at his Link only to see her looking more at the skeletons, "Evy?"

"Yeah, wonderful," she muttered, "I prefer cremation," she shook her head, it was the way of the Time Lords.

"Ooh," the woman pouted at that, "I don't think anyone does," she gave a small chuckle at that, as though sharing some sort of inside joke, "Here at 3W…"

"Exactly what is 3W?" the Doctor cut in.

"Apologies. Clearly you have not received the official 3W greetings package."

And, with that, she strode forward and slapped the Doctor across the face.

"Ow!" he jerked back.

"Oi!" Evy moved in front of him, "Leave off!"

But the woman just leaned in and hugged her instead, "Welcome to the 3W Institute."

"Ow!" the Doctor repeated as the woman stepped away from Evy, allowing him to tug her back, "Why slap me and not her? Not that I want her to be slapped but…"

"And who is this young gentleman?" the woman ignored him, looking down at LJ as he peered at her from behind his father's legs.

"LJ," Evy frowned, eyeing the woman, "He's our son."

The woman blinked at that and looked up at the two of them, "Procreation," she stated, "He does not appear similar to you," she eyed them intently, "He is adorable," her gaze turned to Evy, "Who is the father?"

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed at that, "I'm adorable," he grimaced at that, "I mean…"

"You very much are," Evy patted his chest, "HE's the father," she nodded at the Doctor, "WE," she gestured at herself and the Doctor, "ARE his parents, both of us."

"We have family packages," the woman continued, before she glanced at Clara, "Would you like to hear of them?"

"Oh, er…no?" Clara looked at the Time Lords, utterly confused.

"Who are you?" Evy shook her head, completely thrown.

"I am Missy," the woman bowed her head.

"Missy?"

"Mobile Intelligent Systems Interface. I am a multi-function, interactive welcome-droid. Helping you to help me to help you."

"You're very er realistic," the Doctor rubbed his cheek.

"I am fully programmed with social interaction norms appropriate to a range of visitors."

"Slapping someone isn't the appropriate greeting," Evy shook her head.

"It is for some," Missy stated simply.

"Look," the Doctor shook his head, "We need to speak to whoever's in charge here."

"I am in charge."

"Well, who's in charge of you?"

"I'm in charge of me."

"Who repairs you?" the Doctor almost shouted, getting frustrated, "Who…who maintains you?"

"I am programmed for self-repair. I am maintained by my heart."

"Who maintains your heart?"

"My heart is maintained by the doctor."

Evy reached up to put a hand on the Doctor's chest to stop him as he seemed very near trying to strangle a robot, "Which doctor?"

"Dr. Chang," she smiled.

"Ok, see," Evy looked at the Doctor, "Not you."

"Well of course not," Missy chuckled, "I would incinerate him first."

Evy turned to her, almost startled, "Why?"

"I don't trust Doctors," Missy stated, before tilting her head, "I trust Dr. Chang."

"He handles your programming," the Doctor nodded, "We need to talk to him then."

"Dr. Chang!" Missy shouted suddenly, turning to walk off.

They nearly followed her, would have, had a voice not responded from the opposite direction, "Who's there? Hello?"

"Hello," Clara greeted as a man stepped into the gallery, dark haired, in a blue suit, with glasses.

"Hello," the Doctor and Evy murmured, LJ waving at the man from behind the Doctor.

"So," the man walked over, "Hey. Condolences."

"Condolences?" Clara frowned.

"It's a mausoleum," Chang gestured around, "It's our hello. Is there a particular dead person you want to talk to?"

"We…we can talk to them?" Clara blinked, Chang nodded, "Then…" she glanced at the Doctor and Evy who nodded, so she turned to the man, "Yes. Yes, there is."

"This way then," Chang gestured to the side and led them off.

"Clara?" Evy called, pulling Clara's attention over, "You ok?"

"No," she breathed.

The Doctor held out a hand to her, letting her taking it, "Good. There would be something very wrong if you were."

He shared a look with Evy over Clara's head before they turned to walk off with Clara, LJ holding Evy's hand as they went, none of them spotting Missy behind them, smirking as she watched them depart.

~8~

"Come in, come in," Chang gestured for the aliens to follow him into a rather wide office, a tank set up in the middle with a skeleton sitting in it, which Evy gave a wide berth to, following the man towards a computer at a rather sleek desk, "Going to need to take a reading off you…"

"A reading?" Clara hesitated.

"Won't hurt," the man promised, flicking a switch.

"What won't?"

"How does the body keep its integrity?" the Doctor wondered, watching the skeleton just sit upright, standing in front of the glass, peering at it…LJ with his face pressed to it to try and look at it as closely as his father was, Evy on the other side of the room with Clara, "Why isn't it just a bunch of bones floating about?"

"Each body is encased in a support exoskeleton," Chang stated.

"An invisible exoskeleton?" Evy frowned, trying to think of a material that would be able to do that.

"Oh, no," Chang laughed, "It's only invisible in the water. There's a specially engineered refraction index in the fluid so we can see the tank resident unimpeded by the support mechanisms."

"So basically every skeleton is locked inside of something holding it up?"

"Are you serious?" Clara blinked at that, "X-ray water?"

"It's so cool," Chang grinned, before a thought hit him, "Look at this," he turned and pulled a jar of slightly dark water onto his desk, "We call it dark water," he leaned over and put his arm into the jar, allowing them to see how his sleeve and wristwatch disappeared, leaving nothing but his arm visible, "Only organic matter can be seen through it," he pulled his arm out, his sleeve and watch still there though he had to dry the ends off, "I keep saying they should use this stuff in swimming pools."

"Why?" the Doctor shook his head.

"Think about it."

"I am thinking about it. Why?"

"I really hope that LJ maintains that mentality," Evy remarked, glancing at her son as the Doctor and the boy walked over to them, "If that goes over both your heads, I'll consider my work training you done."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes at that.

"3W," Clara began, wanting to get off the topic of dark water and swimming pools, "What kind of name is that? What does it mean?"

Evy glanced over at the skeleton, uncomfortable, and frowned, seeing it looking back at her, feeling like she was sure that it had been looking another direction when they got there, but to be fair, she hadn't exactly focused on it before this.

"Well, you know, don't you?" Chang smiled, "You're here on business or they wouldn't have let you in. Sorry," he blinked, realizing he'd missed a step, "Should have checked. Who are you?"

"I thought that you would never ask," the Doctor grinned, pulling out his psychic paper, "Sort out your security protocols, they're a disgrace."

"Another government inspection?!" Chang gaped at the paper, "So soon?" before he frowned, "Why is there all this swearing?"

"I'll take that thank you," Evy reached out and nicked the paper back as LJ tried to snag it to see what funny new words his father had used.

"I've got a lot of internalized anger," the Doctor shrugged, "Now what does 3W stand for?"

"Well, the three words," Chang stated simply.

"And those three words are…" Evy trailed off.

The man scoffed, "Seriously? You don't know?"

"Never mind what we know and what we don't know," the Doctor gave him a look, "Just answer our question or we'll let our special operative deal with you."

"Special operative?" he repeated, glancing at Clara.

But the Doctor just pointed at LJ who grinned and made a biting snap at the man, which made Evy roll her eyes at the action.

Chang nodded slowly, "It's just that…people who don't know, when they hear about this, they can freak out."

"We're not going to freak out."

"If you've had a recent loss, this might be, this _will be_ disturbing."

"Clara?" Evy glanced at the girl as the Doctor moved to speak for her, "Will you be ok?"

Clara nodded, "I'll be fine."

Chang sighed, leaning in to speak to them more quietly, "You know how people are scared of dying? Like, everybody."

"No," Evy shook her head, the Doctor and Clara echoing her.

"Oh," Chang seemed startled that they weren't afraid, "Well, most people are, it's…it's actually _the_ most fundamental fear in the universe."

"Clearly they've never encountered Daleks," the Doctor stated.

"Or skeletons," Evy muttered.

"Or getting lost in a time tunnel…" Clara added.

"Bunnies!" LJ called, which did make all of them look at the boy, a little surprised. LJ just grew very serious and wiggled his nose in a bunny impression, before turning to bury his face in his mother's legs. Evy smiled softly at that and picked the boy up to hug him.

"Yes…" Chang eyed them a moment, before shaking his head, continuing, "They'd be a lot more scared of dying if they knew what it was really like," he reached over and activated his computer screen, a rather holographic version of one, playing a sort of staticing noise, "White noise off the telly. We've all heard it. A few years ago, Dr. Skarosa, our founder, did something unexpected. He played that noise through a translation matrix of his own devising. This is a recording of what he heard…" he tapped a key on the keyboard and it sounded like quite a number of people were trying to talk all at once.

"Ok," Clara frowned, not getting it, "People, voices."

"So what?" the Doctor agreed.

"Over time, Dr. Skarosa became convinced these were the voices of the recently departed," Chang informed, "He believed it was a telepathic communication from the dead."

"Why? Was he an idiot?"

"He was _able_ to isolate some of the voices, hear what they were saying."

"And what was that then?" Evy shook her head.

"You must understand," Chang hesitated, "What I'm about to play you will change your life and not for the better. These are the three words which caused Dr. Skarosa to set up institutes, like this one, all over the world, to protect the dead. If you'd rather not hear these words, there's still time…"

"We wouldn't have asked if we didn't want to know," Evy pointed out.

Chang sighed and tapped another key and the voices lessened to just one, repeating, "Don't cremate me!" over and over.

"There is one simple, horrible possibility that has never occurred to anyone throughout human history…" he winced at the repeating message, "The dead remain conscious. The dead are fully aware of everything that is happening to them."

"Fakery," the Doctor scoffed, "All of it. It's a con, it's a racket!"

"I promise you this is not a con!" Chang looked insulted.

"The dead are dead," the Doctor argued, "They're not talking to you out of your television sets. They're just gone and all these poor souls down there in these tanks, I'm sorry, but they're just dead and they're not coming back."

"You really think that?" Chang shook his head at them, before sighing and turning, hitting a key on the keyboard, stopping a soft beeping noise that had begun to play, and suddenly there was another voice calling through the room.

"Hello?" Clara gasped at the sound of Danny's voice, "Is anyone there?"

"Danny!" Clara moved beside Chang to look at the computer, able to see Danny on the monitor, "Oh my stars, Danny is that you?"

But just as Danny was going to reply, the screen cut to static, "Just lost the signal," Chang apologized, nudging her out of the way to try and get it back, "But I can track it back, I'm pretty sure…"

"I don't understand," Clara turned to the Time Lords, the Doctor looking disturbed while Evy appeared frowningly thoughtful, LJ distracted by playing with his mother's hair, before she rounded on Chang again, "What is happening?"

"We've been scanning you telepathically since you came in," Chang explained absently, focused on the computer, "You said you wanted to speak to someone who'd passed, and we've found you a match in the Nethersphere."

"This isn't possible," the Doctor murmured, "The dead don't come back…" as much as he had been hoping their efforts would be worth something, that they might actually find Danny…he had been sure it wouldn't work, that it was truly impossible…

He should know by now never to use that word when his Link got involved.

But still! He'd thought they would try to find him, prove to Clara that nothing could be done to change it, have a nice talk about death over tea, and go on with their lives. Perhaps there would be some measure of searching for another relative of Danny's, through the children's home records, find another relation to explain how Orson Pink existed, but that would be it.

He was NOT expecting this.

"But it was him," Clara insisted, "It was his voice."

"If they scanned you telepathically, they could've lifted a voice print," the Doctor pointed out, reminding Evy of the Pandorica and Amy and the memory print, "It could still be a fake."

"Getting him back," Chang called, "Very nearly!"

"Clara, can you hear me?" Danny called, the feed reading 99 percent connected as Danny's image started to appear again.

"Yes, Danny, I can hear you," Clara focused on the computer once more, "Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, I can hear you. Clara! Oh, God. Clara…where am I?"

"What do I do?" Clara looked at the Time Lords.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Hang on just a moment."

"Ask him questions that only Danny would now," Evy offered, "I know you want it to be him, Clara, I do too, but we need to be absolutely certain, there's too much resting on this to be wrong."

Clara nodded, "Ok."

"You," the Doctor pointed at Chang, "With us," before he turned to head for the doors.

"Where are you going?" Clara called.

"We've got to check out those tanks…" the Doctor began till he saw the narrow eyed look Evy was giving him, "I've got to check those tanks while my Link guards our son," he amended, "There's something that we're missing, I can feel it."

Clara opened her mouth, wanting to say she'd go with them, but Danny called out, "Clara?"

"It's ok, Clara," Evy nodded, "You talk, we'll be back soon."

Clara let out a breath but nodded, turning to sit down and talk to Danny once more as the two Time Lords stepped out of the doors with Chang.

"Who would harvest dead bodies?" the Doctor muttered, "I feel like I'm missing something obvious."

Neither of them noticed, though LJ did frown as he looked over his mother's shoulders, at the doors closing behind them, the two circled logo of 3W carved like windows into the doorway, making for a rather familiar pattern…

~8~

Chang stopped short as he led the Time Lords back into the main gallery of the building, startled to see the skeletons were now standing in their tanks…the water now draining out of them, "Oh, my God. The tanks! The tanks are activating! They're not supposed to do that!"

Evy swallowed hard, taking a step back at the sight, "And now they're standing…" she muttered, the Doctor reaching back to take her hand as they observed what was happening.

"Now, now, children," Missy spoke as she stepped out of the shadows ahead of them, "Naughty, naughty."

"Dr. Chang, your welcome droid has developed a fault," the Doctor glared at the woman, guessing she had been the one to activate the tanks.

Chang just seemed confused by that, "That's not a droid. That's my boss."

"What?" Evy looked at him and back to the woman.

Missy smirked, "You know, I might have been guilty of a just teensy little fibette. Dr. Chang, I really liked working with you. I've enjoyed every day of it."

"I'm sorry?" Chang stepped back.

"You know, I've even got a little photograph of you looking so sweet. I'm always going to keep it. Always!"

"Are you going to kill me?" Chang breathed, scared.

"Now, come on," Missy smirked, "Let's not dwell on horrid things. This is going to be our last conversation, and I'm the one who's going to have to live with that."

"Please don't kill me," Chang begged.

"Say something nice."

"Please, please. I don't…I don't want to die. You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Say something nice."

"Please!"

Missy sighed, "Dr. Chang, I've got all day. And I'm not going to kill you until you say something nice."

Evy frowned as the man slumped, before straightening, holding his head up as he said, "It has been an absolute pleasure working with you, and I truly believe that you'll never be able to find it in your heart to murder me…"

Evy quickly turned, covering LJ's ears as the Doctor blocked his view of Missy pulling out a device from her pocket and aiming it at Chang, blasting him with it and disintegrating him to dust. WHY would the man say anything at all if Missy said she wouldn't kill him till he said something nice? Just don't speak and she would never fired on him!

"What did you do that for!?" Evy demanded of the woman, LJ clinging to her from the sudden attack, the Doctor with his hand on LJ's back, glaring at the woman as well.

"Ooh, I'll be with you in a moment," Missy mock sniffled, "Just feeling a bit emotional at the moment."

"No…" the Doctor breathed, his eyes drifting past Missy and to the tanks, forcing Evy to look at them as well, her eyes widening as she saw the water reaching their heads and raining lower…to reveal a metal head, with eyes exactly like the 3W logo, "Cybermen!"

"Oh my god," Evy looked up and down the hall, "All of them! They're all Cybermen!"

"We've got to stop them getting out," the Doctor pulled out his sonic, trying to find something to do, some way to stop the process.

"The Nethersphere," Missy sighed, shaking her head at the Doctor, "You know it's ever so funny, the people that live inside that think they've gone to heaven."

"Hold on…" Evy frowned, spotting a red and black sphere hovering over Missy's head as she pointed up to it, "That's…a matrix data-slice!" she looked at Missy, "That's a Gallifreyan hard drive! Time Lord tech!"

"Is it?" Missy grinned, "Imagine you could upload dying minds to that. Edit them. Rearrange them. Get rid of all those boring emotions. Ready to be re-downloaded. Meanwhile, you upgrade the bodies…it's so simple. Upload the mind, upgrade the body. Cybermen from cyberspace. Now, why has no one ever thought of that before?"

"How did _you_ get hold of Time Lord technology?" the Doctor moved to stand in front of Evy and LJ, though he knew Evy would move beside him moments later, "Who are you?"

"You know who I am," Missy stated, looking between them, "I told you," she frowned, looking at Evy, "You _felt_ it," she breathed, "Surely you did…" and seemed almost disappointed when Evy shook her head at the woman.

"I didn't feel anything," Evy told her.

"Ooh, yes," Missy nodded, "That's an affect of the Nethersphere," she shrugged, "Well your darling Link could have a feel if you'd like," she grinned at the Doctor, not seeming to notice the shock on their face at how she knew they were Links. She took a step towards the Doctor, but Evy moved in front of him, her own sonic out, "Two hearts," she patted her chest.

"You're a Time Lord," the Doctor frowned.

"Time Lady, please," she waved her hand, "I'm old-fashioned."

"Which Time Lady?"

"The OTHER one you abandoned, Doctor," Missy glared at him, "The one you left for dead," she spat, before taking a breath and plastering a smile on her face, "Didn't you ever think I'd find my way back?" she tilted her head, smiling wider at Evy, "Especially to you, my dear girl, you and your precious son…"

"You keep away from them," the Doctor almost snarled, holding his sonic up at her.

"Well…" Missy observed him, "At least you put her first now instead of your precious companions…"

"Clara!" Evy gasped, grabbing the Doctor's outstretched arm, "We left Clara!"

"Hmm," Missy hummed, "You know I should shoot you to protect her honor," she eyed the Doctor, "Taking on other Ladies to your TARDIS," she emphasized the 'ladies' telling them she knew exactly which species Clara was, "Well…that is if she wasn't already taken…"

If they were startled the woman knew they were Links, it was nothing compared to the fact that she knew Clara was a Time Lady as well…that she was Linked too…

"Go!" Evy turned, shoving the Doctor on as they ran down the hall, trying to find their way back, bursting through a door…and right out of St. Paul's Cathedral, right into broad daylight, an area crowded by humans wandering about their business.

"Oh, dear," Missy laughed, walking up behind them, "Didn't you realize where you were?"

~8~

Clara huffed in frustration as she tried to confirm Danny was actually Danny, she'd asked him question after question, what was the pub they first sat down together, she, him, and the Captain, when was her birthday, what was the first alien he'd encountered…but it was all such basic information, something anyone could lift off him or guess if they followed her enough.

She shook her head, this wasn't getting her anywhere, she just…she had to go with her gut, she had to treat him as though he were actually Danny, even if he wasn't, she just…she needed it to be him, "I'm sorry," she told him, "I'm so sorry Danny. This is all my fault."

"No," Danny shook his head, "No it's not…Clara…"

"It IS," she insisted, "You were coming to my flat, because I asked you there, and you didn't hear the car because you were on the line with me and…"

"Life is dangerous, Clara," Danny cut in, "Just crossing the road is a danger, to all of us, it could have happened to anyone, it just so happened to be me."

"But…"

"No," he shook his head, "It wasn't your fault. I should have looked before I stepped out, it was NOT to do with you Clara."

"Fine," she huffed, knowing he wouldn't let it go, "But I'm going to make it up to you."

"How?"

"We're going to get you out," she told him, "Wherever you are, we'll find you and we'll come get you and…"

"You can't," Danny shook his head, "Clara, you need to promise me you won't."

"Danny…"

"There is only _one_ way to come here, and you are not doing that. Not you, not the Doctor or Evy, not that little boy," he tried to smile, "I can't let you come here Clara, not when you've still got them, when you've still got the Captain. Think about them, don't think about me. I forgive you, even though you didn't do ANYTHING wrong, and it's not your fault, I forgive you, and I'm ok. Clara, you have your life. You have your whole life to live. You have to stay there," this time he managed a smile, "You're my best mate, Clara, and I want you to know that, I want you to know that's why I'm going to do this."

"Do what?" she frowned.

"This," he took a breath, "Goodbye Clara Oswald…"

Clara blinked as the transmission cut out, "Oh, no…he did NOT!" she stood, huffing, and tried to get the connection back, "He did not just hang up on me after…no!" she searched the desk, "I need to find out where he is and…"

She had only just pulled out her sonic when she heard the sound of heavy stomping behind her and turned, her eyes widening as she saw a Cyberman step out of the tank and lift its arm right at her, ready to attack…

~8~

"Get away from here!" the Doctor shouted as he and Evy ran down the steps of the cathedral, trying to tell the humans to get out of the area, able to hear the stomping of the Cybers following them, heading for the exit to 3W after them, "All of you, run!"

"GO!" Evy tried, setting LJ down as they reached the middle of the area, gripping his hand tightly as she called out to the humans, "Go! Run! Just…just get away from here!"

But it was too late, the Cybermen had reached the exit and were now stomping their way down the stairs, and, instead of running as they were told, the humans just stopped and started to point at them.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Missy called out, joining them, "Another ranting Scotsman in the street. I had no idea there was a match on," she giggled at that, moving to sit on a set of steps and watch the Doctor lose his mind.

"Get away, go!" he tried to warn the others.

"Oh stop shouting," Missy rolled her eyes, "Honestly, Eves, how do you put up with all that fuss?" Evy shot a glare at her, "It's too late," she warned them, "All the graves of planet Earth are about to give birth. You know the key strategic weakness of the human race? The dead outnumber the living."

Evy shook her head, turning to face Missy, "Who are you?"

Missy looked sad at that, "You really can't tell?" she stood up, walking towards Evy, the Doctor stepping up to his Link's side and glaring at her to stop, "You really can't tell? Even now? Even out here?" she gestured around, "Ooh go on, give it a try. I'll even give you a hint…I'm Missy."

Evy looked at her intently, trying to sense who the woman was now that they were out of the Nethersphere's range, inhaling deeply as she focused…

Missy smirked the moment Evy's eyes widened in realization.

"No," Evy shook her head, breathing out in shock.

"Yes," Missy's eyes widened with just that word, "Hello sis."

"What?" the Doctor gaped at her.

"Ooh, do keep up Doctor," Missy shook her head at him, "Missy, short for Mistress."

"You're…" Evy just stared at her.

"Yup," Missy grinned, "I couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now could I?" she laughed loudly as the two Time Lords before her looked horrified, the Cybermen surrounding them, the humans still very much there, very much in danger.

But, then again…so was the whole world.

To be continued...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited for Missy and Evy next chapter }:)
> 
> I couldn't see Clara doing what she did in the show with the keys over Danny here. She was only friends with him, on a sort of strained rope at the moment, she had a Link in someone else, I couldn't see her getting that devastated or going that far for Danny. But I could see J wanting his Link to stop hurting, wanting her to stop feeling guilty, because I could see Clara being torn apart with guilt that Danny was coming to see HER and work on their friendship because she sort of lashed back at him for his words, and just feeling like it was her fault :( I couldn't see the Time Lords being willing to go back on all they've said in trying to save Danny this time unless it had a more far-sighted end, like the thought that, if Danny was always meant to die when he did, then Orson wouldn't exist, but he DID...so why? To them it was just enough of a stretch to investigate where Danny was, if he was really gone, or if there was a way to get him back :) Both to help Clara and to, possibly, maintain the timelines :)
> 
> Watching this episode though, not bringing in the stories or OCs, I felt really weird when Clara was talking to Danny about wanting to be with him and find him and get to him. The exact line that throws me off is when Danny says 'Clara, you have your life. You have your whole life to live. You have to stay there' and Clara responds with, 'No. I have to be with Danny Pink.' It just sounded so wrong to me, that she was saying 'I have to be with' instead of 'I want to be with' or 'I need to be with' or something like that. It might be why I feel like Clara and Danny were so forced in the show. In Listen especially, with how the Doctor remarked (and remarked again in this episode) that the only reason why they'd be in Danny's timeline instead of Clara's is that it's tied to hers. Her line here of 'having to be with him' makes me feel like she's got it in her head that this is just how it has to be, she has to be with Danny, because the timelines say so...when in this episode also she repeats that time can be rewritten :/ It just sounded so distant to me, she doesn't want to be with him, she just has to be with him. But that's just my opinion :)
> 
> Next chapter...poor little LJ is very confused by his uncle(?), but does the Captain have something to thank his uncle for? What will Evy's reaction be to seeing her...sister(?) alive once more?


	22. Death in Heaven

Evy just stared at Missy, the woman smirking, her eyes wide, " _…Terrin_ ," she breathed quietly in Gallifreyan.

" _More like Terra,_ " Missy teased back in kind.

Evy shook her head, pushing her shock away enough to remember her English, "But…but you…you can't be…"

This…was the last thing she expected to see, her brother…now sister…standing before her after the events of the Gate. She honestly hadn't known what she was thinking though, why she hadn't expected this. At first she had thought the Gate would send him back to his death on Gallifrey, in the middle of the war, to the Time Lock, but then, finding out that Gallifrey had been saved instead of destroyed? To know that the Time Lords were truly alive? She should have known that her brother (sister?) would survive, that, of all people, of all Time Lords, he would find a way out of it all.

"Ooh," Missy laughed, "And look at my handsome young nephew," she leaned in to look at LJ, smirking as the Doctor tried to step closer, as though warding her off.

LJ just looked at her, confusion evident on his face, "Unky?" he pointed at the woman, before looking at his parents, trying to understand what was happening, "Unky is…Auntie?"

"It appears so," Evy murmured, blinking at Missy. It was well known that the Time Lords could change gender upon regeneration, it happened to others, but she never really considered it would happen to her brother, he always seemed very content to be a Time Lord instead of Lady.

"I should have guessed," the Doctor muttered, "Cybermen in broad daylight?"

Missy just gave a wide grin and gestured around, "And look at my boys," she laughed, seeing the humans were wandering closer, taking out there cameras and phones for a photo op with the metal men. She gasped, an idea hitting her, as she pulled her rather flat hat off and tossed it on the ground, calling out, "Photos with the big metal men, one pound!" she sniggered as people actually began to toss money into it, hurrying over to the Cybers, "Ooh," she looked at the Doctor and Evy who were both looking around, growing tenser as the Cybers just stood there, waiting for orders, "New York. Paris. Rome. Marrakesh. Brisbane. Glasgow. Everywhere. Anywhere. Me and my boys. We're going viral," she pulled out a phone of her own, rather 'steampunk' in design, to hold up to them, showing them footage and news feeds of the Cybers marching around all over the world.

"Would you like me to take a picture?" a voice asked, and the Time Lords looked over to see Osgood, Kate Stewart's assistant, walking towards them, her scarf she'd worn last time gone and replaced with a bow-tie, "Sorry, selfies are never as good, are they? And you're having a lovely moment. Hang on!" she quickly snatched the phone-like device from Missy as the Doctor grabbed her arm to keep her from trying to get it back, Evy moving to the side, still partly in shock over the situation.

"Nice bow-tie," the Doctor eyed Osgood.

Osgood smiled, shrugging, "Bow-ties are cool," she held up Missy's phone, "Big smiles! And…now!" she shouted, stepping back as every single person in the area pulled guns out of bags and pockets and backpacks, UNIT soldiers rushing out from the buildings around them, all aiming and surrounding the Cybers.

"Move, move, move!" the soldiers called, "Stand by. Surround target. Hold back!"

Evy blinked and looked over when she saw an older woman with short blonde hair making her way towards them, Kate Stewart holding something behind her back, "Afternoon," the woman greeted, "You've picked a lovely day for it. My, don't you look shiny," she eyed the Time Lords, "Have you two had some work done?"

Evy shook her head from her shock, "We're not Jack," she joked a bit, remembering how Jack had asked the same question when he'd seen the Doctor on Utopia.

Kate nodded, her gaze flickering to Missy, "The woman," she ordered her men and two soldiers rushed forward to seize her arms, allowing the Doctor to step back to Evy's side, his hand resting on her back, his other hand on LJ's leg, as Kate addressed the Cybers, "Kate Stewart. Divorcee, mother of two, keen gardener, outstanding bridge player. Also Chief Scientific Officer, Unified Intelligence Taskforce, who currently have you surrounded."

"Human weaponry is not effective against Cyber technology," one of the nearest Cybers stated.

"Sorry, you left this behind on one of your previous attempts," she threw the object she'd been hiding to the foot of the Cyberman, revealing it was a Cyber-head, a rather old style of it, but enough to tell the Cybers that they were capable of defending the planet, and that they'd likely extracted some new information from the old head on how to handle the metal men, "So now that I have your attention, welcome to the only planet in the universe where we get to say this," she nodded at the Doctor, "He's on the payroll."

"Am I?" the Doctor inquired absently.

"Well, technically."

"How much?"

"Cybermen," Evy cut in, "Invading the world. My brother isn't dead. And he's now a woman," she gave them a look, "So if we could focus, please?"

"Clara!" LJ added, tugging on her hair, "Clara gone!"

"That too," she sighed.

"Yes," Kate agreed, "Apologies," she looked at the Cybers, "Well, then, any questions?"

Moving as one, the Cybers curled their hands into fists and slammed them against their chest plates, starting to stomp their feet on the ground till small rockets in their boots fired up and sent them blasting into the sky.

"Back, back, everyone, back!" a soldier called

"Oh my god," Osgood breathed, looking at something behind them, pointing at St. Paul's, where the dome on top of the cathedral was starting to peel back one by one, "Is it supposed to do that? Is that new?"

"A sun roof on Saint Paul's?" the Doctor scoffed, "Yes, I'd say that was new."

"There's going to be mass panic," Kate looked at them, "Everyone in London can see that!"

"And that as well," Evy sighed as more Cybers shot out of the dome itself, joining the others in flight above it, "How many are there?" she squinted.

"87, I think," Osgood answered promptly, "OCD," she shrugged as an explanation.

"91!" LJ called, clapping more for the fact that he could count to 100 than that there were 91 Cybermen flying around.

"Ooh, he's got your eyes Eves," Missy teased, "Bingo," she taunted the Doctor, though the fact that LJ had counted so many so quickly had surprised his parents.

"How could Saint Paul's be full of 91 Cybermen and nobody noticed?" Kate shook her head.

"Dimensional engineering," the Doctor answered quickly, "One space folded inside another. Bigger on the inside. Easy if you're a Time Lord."

"Mostly deploying south, a smaller number east," Osgood reported, keeping her eye on the Cybers as they started to fly off.

"Yep, but one straight up," the Doctor pointed out, the lone Cyberman rising higher and higher straight above them.

"So 91 isn't a coincidence?" Osgood guessed.

"It never is," Evy muttered, "It was planned."

"Osgood?" Kate looked at her assistant, seeing that the girl seemed to think more of the exact number than she was letting on, "91. Explain."

"91 areas of significant population density in the British Isles," Osgood stated quickly.

"That's one Cyberman for every city and major town," the Doctor huffed, snatching Missy's mobile from Osgood's hands, trying to see if it could give him a clue about what was going on, "It's happening everywhere, all over the world, right now."

"Sweet planet, this," Missy smiled, "I think I might keep it."

"One Cyberman per city," Kate mumbled, trying to work it out, "What could they hope to accomplish?"

"What…" Evy shook her head when a rumbling sounded above them, the lone Cyberman self detonating, "Why…"

"Boom!" LJ called.

"Has it exploded?" Kate gaped at it, not sure why it would do that.

"More than that," Missy giggled, "Cybermen don't just blow themselves up for no good reason, dear. They're not human."

"If it's not exploding, what's it doing?" the Doctor rounded on her.

"Pollinating," she sighed, sounding bored, "Falling like rain into the cracks of the Earth. The dead are coming home," she looked between her sister and the Doctor, "All shiny and new. In 24 hours the human race as you know it will cease to exist."

The Doctor glared at her, "What are you doing? Explain. Tell me now!"

Whatever Missy might have said or not was cut off when one of the soldiers holding her jabbed a needle into her neck, causing her to fall to her knees.

"Oh," Missy blinked rapidly, fighting to stay conscious, "That was nice. Must do it again…"

"What did you do that for!?" Evy nearly jumped forward to try and help the woman, but held back as the soldiers scooped her up, "Where are you taking her?!"

"The same place we're taking you," Kate stepped up, "You two must come with me, now."

"Why?" the Doctor glared.

"There are protocols in place," Kate said simply, "And you ARE still a member of UNIT, you must adhere to them."

The Doctor let out a huff of breath through his nose, knowing he didn't HAVE to adhere to anything, and looked to Evy.

She shook her head, "They've got my…sibling," she offered, not sure what to really call Missy just yet. Her whole life, centuries and centuries of it, the Master was her brother, it would take a little to get used to her being a sister now.

The Doctor rubbed a hand down his face and looked at Kate, "Two conditions."

"Name it," Kate straightened.

"Watch the graveyards," Evy told her, thinking about Missy's remark on the dead coming back.

"Done," Kate nodded, "And second?"

The Doctor took a breath, "We need you to connect us to Torchwood."

There was NO way they were allowing their son to be around the Master…Missy…while the dead were apparently about to rise, no…they needed to know he was somewhere safe so they could deal with this fine mess.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy stood in an airplane hanger, watching as the TARDIS was hoisted up into the cargo bay of the plane before them. They could have parked the TARDIS in there themselves, but Kate seemed to want to keep an eye on them, not trusting that they wouldn't run off in it to try and work this out elsewhere, so they humored her, curious to see how much she knew and what UNIT had worked out. LJ had been transported to Jack to watch over while they dealt with this, Evy making the man SWEAR on his immortal life that he would find a safe place and buckle down, that he would not go out and investigate, that he would not seek out the Cybers or anything. THEY had it covered and, this time, leave it to them and keep their son safe. It was a bit of a low move to use LJ's life to get Jack to agree to hold off on his own investigations, but the man agreed, knowing the world was in safe hands with them both working on it.

That and telling him the Master was back, yet again, and they were trying to stop him seemed to be enough for him to realize this was far bigger than he thought it was.

Speaking of the Master, Evy shifted in place as she saw the woman being wheeled in, her hands tied behind her, her head slumping forward, still unconscious. She didn't like seeing her family like that, chained up, but she understood the necessity for it given the last two times her brot…sister had been on Earth and what had happened then.

"Who is she?" Kate spoke as she joined them, watching as the soldiers brought Missy up to the plane as well, "You said…forgive me, but you said she was your brother," Kate looked at Evy, "But that would mean she's…"

"The Master," Evy nodded, crossing her arms, "Yes. You've got it in one."

"Where's Clara?" the Doctor looked over at Kate.

"Clara Oswald, your assistant?"

"She's much more than that," Evy muttered, before rubbing her head, "She was there at St. Paul's with us. She's still in there."

"The Cybermen fled it," the Doctor reassured her, "I doubt there's any left inside. She'll be alright."

"Still, I want her here."

The Doctor nodded and turned to Kate once more, "The team's still on site but they've been unable to gain access to the building," she warned, "But I'll have them search for Miss Oswald the moment they make it in."

"Good," the Doctor replied, "I want her found and brought here. We need her with us," he took Evy's hand and led her towards the plane, seeing the cargo deck entrance being closed and paused, "You got the TARDIS out…"

"And then St. Paul's locked down," Kate nodded, "We didn't know Clara was still inside or we would have remained within," she gestured towards the plane in a signal to continue on, following behind them as they reached the stairs into the plane, guiding them through the small hall to a larger room, a wooden table in it with a series of chairs around it. There were monitors in the walls as well as a portrait of the Brigadier on the wall on the opposite side of the room, an Indian man in military uniform standing beside it with Osgood on the other side.

"Where are we going?" the Doctor frowned, seeing the military there, "Cloudbase?"

"You mean the Valiant?" Kate frowned.

"No," Evy shook her head, "Can we not go to the Valiant, not now, especially not now."

The Doctor squeezed her hand for that, it held bad memories for the both of them. Even if it had been the place where he'd discovered Evy was a Time Lady, the Year-That-Never-Was was enough to sour even that blessing.

"Cloudbase was Thunderbirds?" Osgood glanced at the Time Lords, not sounding too sure.

But Kate shook her head, "Too conspicuous. We need your location concealed, not advertised. From now on you're a moving target."

"Ah, I see you're bringing Daddy along, too," the Doctor gestured at the portrait, "That's very sweet…" he trailed off when the Indian officer saluted him.

"Sir!" the man moved to attention, before doing the same for Evy, "Ma'am."

"Oh, don't do that," both Evy and the Doctor shook their heads.

"You look like you're self-concussing," the Doctor added, "Which would explain all of military history, now I think about it."

"Colonel Ahmed," the man introduced himself, "Privileged to meet you."

"Love your outfit, Colonel Ahmed. Are you in the Scouts? Are you a Man Scout? I didn't know they had those."

"No need to be rude, dear," Evy sighed, moving to sit at one of the seats to the right of the chair on the end of the table, her head falling into her hands, this entire situation was just…overwhelming. Danny dies, their son comes to them for help, Danny's somehow still alive in some form, Cybermen attack, the Master returned but now he was a woman…LJ was with Jack, and they were now being sent skyward for security…what next?

"It was Captain Scarlet," Ahmed mumbled a moment later.

"Sorry?" Osgood blinked, realizing the man was speaking to her.

"Not Thunderbirds."

"Oh God, so it was!"

"My confidence is growing every minute," the Doctor deadpanned, moving to sit in the chair next to Evy at the head of the table, reaching out to take one of her hands from her head, holding it as she turned, resting her head on her other hand to look at him.

"They're onboard," Kate called into a small comm., "The authorities are secured. Prepare for takeoff."

"Authorities?" Evy gave Kate a questioning look at that.

"The incursion protocols have been agreed internationally," Kate turned to them, moving to take the seat across from Evy, "In the event of full-scale invasion, the Doctor and his Link are to be brought to Earth and given complete authority over the strategy to take as they would be the only ones knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle such a monumental situation."

Evy blinked at that, letting out a breath, "Wonderful."

Now she could add becoming singlehandedly responsible for every single life on the planet, to the ever growing list for her and the Doctor.

"So long as you two are on this plane," Kate looked at them, serious, "You're essentially in control of every army on Earth, you have the access to every resource and asset the human race has to offer. Every world leader is currently awaiting your instructions. Any questions?"

The Doctor just frowned at that, squeezing Evy's hand, seeming to realize the full weight of the responsibility now being put upon them by the human beings as well.

~8~

Clara tried not to show how nervous she was as she stood before three Cybermen in the main gallery of 3W. She had managed to keep them from attacking her so far…though she'd had to reveal that she was a Time Lady to do it, that she wouldn't be compatible to their systems, that, being a Time Lady, she was important to the Doctor and Evy. Now though…now she was trying to convince them she was an actual Time Lady because, apparently, given their experience with Evy and the Doctor, they didn't believe it despite scanning her and seeing her two hearts.

"Well, gentlemen," she cleared her throat, "Where to start? I was born on the planet Gallifrey, in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lady but a bit of a mishap in a Time Tunnel gave me human lives and human memories to live out. I am currently relearning how to pilot a Type 40 TARDIS. I've got two hearts, my brainwaves function on the same length as a Time Lady, I can speak and read Gallifreyan, and I have this!" she pulled out her sonic, which only caused them to lift their arms in defense, knowing it could be a dangerous weapon, "How much more do you need?" she asked, holding up her other hand in surrender, "I AM a Time Lady. I am important to the Doctor, to Evy. I'm much more use to you alive."

"You possess a sonic device," the Cyberman in the middle stated.

"Yes," she nodded, "Yes I do, because I am a Time Lady…"

"Sonic devices are weapons to Time Lords!" it lifted its arm higher, Clara's eyes widening as she heard it powering up, her mind racing, trying to think of what to do.

"You were a human first," a new Cyber-voice spoke behind her, causing her to gasp and spin around to see yet another Cyberman walk up behind her.

"No," she shook her head, frantic, "I mean, yes, I was, but I'm not now. NOW I am a Time Lady…" and that was really the only thing keeping her alive.

"Your presence has not been ordered," one of the Cybermen behind her called, though she didn't dare look away from the one before her.

"Correct," the Cyber stated, seeming to focus on Clara though, "You are Clara Oswald. Born 23rd November, 1986. Father: David James Oswald. Mother, Ellie Alison Oswald."

Clara frowned at that, slowly lowering her hands, "How do you know…"

She nearly screamed when the Cyberman before her threw out its hand, sending out a blast towards her, causing her to duck…and realize that it hadn't been aiming at her at all but the three Cybers behind her. She stood up quickly, turning to face the other Cyber, to ask why they did that…when she felt a zing go through her and her world went black…

~8~

Missy sniffed deeply as she slowly roused to find herself tied to a box trolley, the TARDIS beside her, two soldiers behind her…with the Doctor and Evy standing right in front of her, that Osgood girl behind them at a small work bench.

" _Terrin,_ " Evy began, using Gallifreyan because this conversation was really too private and important to use English, " _How are you here?_ " she eyed the woman, " _How did you survive?_ "

" _You should know,_ " Missy smirked, " _You both were the ones that saved me. You, your boy, his girl…_ "

" _We saved Gallifrey,_ " the Doctor corrected.

" _Yes, Gallifrey too, I suppose,_ " she sighed, " _There's always collateral damage with you and me, isn't there?_ " she eyed the Doctor, " _If only you'd stayed on Gallifrey, if only hadn't caused my baby sis such pain…_ " she mock pouted at him, " _I never would have gone after you like that. And all those humans and planets and galaxies that got caught in our crossfire, well…they'd still be alive and well now, wouldn't they? But no,_ " she narrowed her eyes at him, " _You had to be the coward and run. As though your pain was greater than anyone else's._ "

" _Don't do that,_ " Evy shook her head, " _I never asked you to do that. I never wanted you to. I was FINE handling it on my own. I understood…_ "

Missy snorted, " _You can't as your big brother to just STAND there while you were hurting,_ " she cut in, " _You weren't going to do something, then I was. You would think a thank you would be coming,_ " she huffed.

" _You tried to kill my Link,_ " Evy argued.

" _I was never going to actually KILL him,_ " Missy rolled her eyes, " _Seriously maim him, perhaps, but I wouldn't do that to you Luna,_ " she looked at her sister seriously, " _I wouldn't hurt you the way he did._ "

" _Well that explains the slap,_ " the Doctor muttered, " _You always could hold a grudge._ "

" _You deflowered my sister!_ " Missy mock-hissed.

" _She's MY Link._ "

" _She's MY sister! And you are the last person that deserves her!_ "

" _You're never going to let that go are you?_ "

" _Centuries, Theta, centuries of her suffering in misery because of you!_ "

Evy nearly rubbed her head at the migraine that was starting, she hadn't exactly been suffering in misery for the most part. She'd had a life, she'd had a job, she'd had her family and friends, she knew the Doctor needed time and space to heal, she was fine. She didn't exactly want him to Link to her while he was still mourning the death of his son and its mother. But still, this was not the time nor place for this.

" _As chuffed as I am that you both care for me, if we could please FOCUS!_ " she nearly snapped, " _This isn't the time for grudges,_ " she looked between the two, " _And this isn't time to be targeting Earth,_ " before added that to Missy, " _Gallifrey was saved, but it's lost in another dimension…_ "

" _Yes and no,_ " Missy smiled.

" _Meaning?_ " the Doctor's eyes narrowed.

" _Yes, it's in another dimension. No, it's not lost._ "

Evy sucked in a breath at that, " _Do you know where it is?_ "

" _Yep!_ " she grinned, " _You know the best part about knowing?_ " she leaned in as much as the bindings would allow, " _Not telling._ "

"Doctor, Miss Daniels," Ahmed's voice called over the speakers, "We're ready for you up here."

"It's _Evy_ ," Evy hissed under her breath, making Missy chuckle.

The Doctor sighed, before calling out, "On our way!"

"Thank you, sir," Ahmed replied.

Evy looked at Missy with a sigh, "We'll be back later," she warned, "We're nowhere near done with this conversation."

"I don't think we ever will be," Missy hummed, shooting the Doctor a small glare as they turned to walk away.

"Osgood," the Doctor called as they approached the girl, seeing her taking Missy's 'phone' apart.

"Oh!" she jumped, "Er, it's her little device thingy," she gestured to it, "I thought there might be useful information on it," she glanced past them and to Missy, "Is she really the Master regenerated into female form?" she asked them quietly, "Your childhood friend," she looked at the Doctor, then turned to Evy, "Your…er, brother?" she shrugged a bit, not sure which pronoun was proper to use in such a situation, "The one responsible for a number of previous incursions, previous Prime Minister?"

"I'm afraid so," Evy sighed.

Osgood shifted a bit, hesitating to speak, but sighed, "There's something nobody's talking about…"

"Which is?" the Doctor asked.

"The clouds caused by the exploding Cybermen, they haven't dispersed," she warned them quietly, "They're still there. In fact, they've expanded and are covering almost all the land masses. We're all looking at the graveyards. Maybe we should be looking up? What do you think?"

The Doctor smiled at that and glanced at Evy who nodded, "All of time and space?" he looked back at Osgood.

"Sorry?" Osgood blinked.

"Just something for your bucket list."

Evy shook her head as the Doctor took her hand and led her away, able to hear Osgood scrambling for her inhaler. They probably wouldn't take Osgood along with them just yet, not while they still had Clara as a more 'permanent' companion. But they both knew the day would come where Clara decided it was time to be with her Link instead of learning from his parents, from his mother, and, when that day came…maybe Osgood would want to see some wonders. She was a rather remarkable girl in her own right after all.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy sat with Kate in the main cabin of the plan, watching a news report of the clouds that had been created by the Cybers exploding, the clouds drifting above the cemeteries alone, were raining now, and where the rain fell…metal men were rising from the graves.

"These scenes are being repeated everywhere," Kate turned off the news feed, "Every cemetery, every mortuary, every funeral home, every hospital, the dead are returning to life as Cybermen. We've done heat scans of some of the cemeteries and, in each case only a handful of Cybermen have so far emerged. But every individual burial site is active."

"Active?" Ahmed frowned at that word.

"Hatching," the Doctor supplied.

"Rising," Evy offered.

"More are coming," Kate determined, "Potentially millions."

"So the rain caused all that in just a few hours?" Ahmed shook his head, finding it almost hard to believe.

"It wasn't rain, Man Scout," the Doctor scoffed.

"Missy said it herself, it was pollen," Evy sighed, rubbing her head, "Cyber-pollen."

"Every tiny particle of a Cyberman contains the plans to make another Cyberman," the Doctor explained, "All it has to do is to make a contact with compatible living organic matter and bang! Full conversion. But if they have learned how to convert the dead…" he glanced at a monitor in the wall that showed Missy standing in the cargobay, still restrained, "That's what she was doing. That's what 3W was for. She creates an all-new paranoia among the super-rich about dying. She exploits the wealth and the mortal remains of selected idiots so she can create a whole new race of Cybermen. Cybermen who can recruit corpses. Throw away your guns, Man Scout, it's all over. How can you win a war against an enemy that can weaponize the dead?"

"The same way you fight ones that use their own enemies as spare parts," Evy remarked, "With our help," she reached out to take the Doctor's hand, "All the humans need, you, me, and these," she pointed at her head, making him smile at the familiar words.

"But they're not attacking, apart from isolated incidents," Ahmed continued, "They're just wandering about."

"They're newborns," the Doctor replied, "Give them time."

"Kate," Evy looked at her, wondering something that had been niggling at her since this all started, "Why were you even at St. Paul's this morning? You were already there and prepared for an attack…"

"Been investigating 3W for a while," Kate shrugged, "Then we got a tip-off."

"From a woman with a Scottish accent," Ahmed added.

Evy let out a small scoffing laugh at that, "Just like him," she muttered to herself, "He…SHE would want an audience," the glanced at the video feed.

Missy, as though sensing her sister watching her, stuck her tongue out at the camera.

"Dead bodies don't have minds, of course," the Doctor frowned, "But she's been upgrading dying minds to a hard drive for a long time. So she upgrades the hardware, and then she updates the software."

"What do you mean, a long time?" Kate frowned, "How long?"

"If she's managed to nick a TARDIS in her escape," Evy sighed, "Longer than you'd care to know."

"How long?" Kate repeated.

"Kate, it IS possible that Missy might be responsible for the entire concept of an afterlife," she reminded the woman, "If she's got a TARDIS she could have gone back right to the beginning. We can't know for certain how long."

"But we do know that every graveyard on planet Earth is about to burst its banks," the Doctor agreed, about to say more…when the plane suddenly swerved, veering hard to the side.

The Doctor and Evy were on their feet in an instant, hurrying to the windows to look out and see what might have caused it.

"What is it?" Kate frowned, seeing the Doctor reach for Evy's hand.

"The clouds," the Doctor murmured, "Still there. So what else have they got?"

They jumped back when a Cyberman appeared in the window.

"Oh, dear Lord!" Kate gasped, leaping out of her seat in shock.

"There's a Cyberman out on the fuselage!" Evy shouted, managing to make another out.

"But on the plus side, it's not turbulence," the Doctor added, glancing at the monitor of the cargo bay and letting out a curse in Gallifreyan, "She's out!" he shouted, seeing Missy was not standing restrained any longer, "Who let her out?"

He didn't bother to wait for an answer as he and Evy bolted out of the room to stop Missy, because the Cybermen attacking the plane were, without a doubt, all her design.

~8~

Clara frowned as she slowly made her way through a graveyard, having woken a short while ago from being knocked unconscious and, apparently, abducted, by a Cyberman, and brought there. There were other Cybers around, which added to her caution in walking. Though they weren't acting like the ones she'd encountered in the past, not even the ones in her Time Lady memories, they were all just standing there or staring at the stones around them.

She stopped short when she saw one a few feet ahead of her, staring right at her. She squinted, seeing that its chest appeared to be dark, the light that usually illuminated it was gone. She took a breath and stepped forward, her sonic still in her hand, which was a blessing, "Are you the one that brought me here?" she demanded, trying to sound as confident as the Doctor and Evy were.

"Affirmative," it stated.

"And you…you knew who I was," she eyed it, "In 3W, you knew things about me…"

"You are Clara Oswald."

"Yes, but how did you know so much about me?"

"The Doctor and Evy…"

"What about them?" she frowned, before her mind jumped to the worst conclusion, "What have you done with them!?" she lifted the sonic, "Where are they? What have you done!?"

"You are their son's Link."

Clara gaped at that, freezing in place, "…how…how do you know that?" she whispered, thrown, no one knew that, no one that would tell the Cybers or be able to tell them…

The Cyberman was stationary for a moment, but then lifted its hand to its faceplate and pulled it off.

Clara gasped at the face staring back at her, "Danny?"

It was him, it was Danny Pink, trapped in a Cyber-suit, bits of metal digging into his too-pale face, shadows under his eyes, his skin almost looking like it was about to start decomposing in front of her eyes.

"Danny Pink is dead," the face of Danny said, "Help me."

"Oh, my God, Danny," Clara nearly dropped her sonic but only lowered her arm, taking a step towards him.

"Help me," he begged.

"Danny, I am so sorry," her voice cracked as she reached him, tears in her eyes.

"Help me," he repeated, "I need you to do something for me. I can't do it myself."

"What?" she shook her head, "I'll do anything I can…"

Danny gave a short, jerking nod, before pulling the plate off his chest, revealing the metal compartment behind it, the lights off, "I need your help."

Clara stepped closer, frowning at the area that he was pointing to, a small chip on the side of the compartment, "Is that…"

"The inhibitor," Danny nodded, "It's not activated. I need you to switch it on."

"I can't," she shook her head, looking up at him now, "If I do that it'll delete your emotions, you'll turn into one of them…" she knew that much from her memories.

"Please," Danny begged, tears in his eyes, "I don't want to feel like this. I don't want to live like this," he sniffled, "Clara please… _help me_."

Clara swallowed hard and looked at the compartment, before taking a breath and lifting her sonic to try and help…

~8~

The Doctor and Evy ran into the cargo bay, managing to make it down the ladder to the main floor and hurried towards where Missy had been tethered…only to stop when a crunching noise sounded. They looked down to see Osgood's glasses lying on the ground, the girl nowhere.

"Oh, she was really scared," Missy's voice spoke before them, making them look up to see her stepping out from behind the TARDIS, "It's classic. Have you got any more friends I can play with?" she laughed as the plane swerved again, "Oh, ooh. Ask me," she taunted.

"Shut up!" the Doctor snapped, in no mood now that they knew she'd harmed, likely killed, Osgood.

"Ask me!" Missy challenged, "Come on, you know you want to. You want to know what my plan is. You'll be surprised. I've got a gift for you both. You know, I've been up and down your timeline, meeting all those silly people who died to keep you alive," she scoffed at the Doctor, "All those silly, silly people that kept you alive just so you could get here, and face me. And you know what I worked out? What you really need."

"For what?" the Doctor glared.

"To know that you're just like me!" she giggled, "Isn't that a thing though? Girls always look to men that remind them of their fathers?" she pouted, "Or maybe it's brothers?"

Evy grimaced at the thought, no, the Doctor was NOTHING like her brother had been, not at all. Nothing like her father either, in any of his or her father's incarnations.

Missy laughed as the plane swerved more violently, "Oh," she sounded delighted, "And now it begins. Ooh, I wonder, if you're facing me…what is little Miss Oswald staring down right this very moment? Oh yes, Clara Oswald, the girl who's got your number…" her eyes widened mockingly, "Whoops!"

"You?" Evy stared at her, stumbling to the side and grabbing a netting hanging by the wall for stability, "YOU were the one that gave Clara our number?"

"Well," Missy smirked, "Not quite."

"Missy!"

"Oh alright," she rolled her eyes, "I might have made a call to an old friend of yours," she smirked at them, "An…Astrid Peth?" she teased, "Told her I was your new companion, told her that you had a message for her. That a little girl named Clara would be coming in to fix her computer, and to give her your number as the helpline," she chuckled, "She was quite easy to persuade."

"You pushed Clara to us?" Evy shook her head.

"Of course I did," Missy huffed, "Honestly, you're getting slow sis. I didn't just bring you together, I KEPT you together, a little advert in a paper in Victorian London…no?"

"Why?"

"Well I wasn't going to wait around for my little bitty nephew to find his Link," she said simply, "I wasn't going to put him through what HE," she glared at the Doctor, "Put YOU through."

"You did it for LJ?" Evy stared at her, of all the reasons…she had not thought it would be that.

"He's family," Missy smiled, "Such an adorable boy. I'm not completely heartless, I look out for my family."

Evy didn't know whether that disturbed her more that, in the middle of planning an entire world domination bit, her br…sister had decided to fix it so that her son would find his Link. It had to be a testament to his madness that he could manage to do that right in the middle of trying to destroy the world.

"The Cybermen are in!" Kate cried as she ran into the room, trying to warn them, "The plane's going down!"

"Oh, great," Missy huffed as the moment was ruined, she just wanted a simple thank you for all her help, "It's the daughter one. Do you like her?" she glanced at the others, "I like her…" before she held up her wrist, a black band around it, and tapped it, sending the plane quickly jerking to the side, sending the Doctor crashing into Evy as they grabbed onto the cargo strap, Kate struggling to find something to hold onto as well…

When Missy pressed another button and opened the cargo hatch, holding onto a strap of her own as Kate was sucked out, her screams fading in the sound of the storm raging outside.

"NO!" Evy screamed.

"Why did you do that?" the Doctor glared at Missy, "You didn't have to do that!"

"Oh, don't be so selfish," Missy muttered, "I'm going to miss her, too. In fact, you know what? Just for that, for both of your lack of appreciation, I'm leaving," she stuck up her nose as she lifted her wristband to her mouth again, "Boys, blow up this plane and, I don't know, Belgium, yeah? Kill some Belgians. Might as well. They're not even French. Bye!" she gave them a small wave before she disappeared in a flash of blue light.

"Evy!" the Doctor reached out for her hand, the two of them locking eyes before they nodded, quickly reaching into their clothing, to the Spatial Shifters they still wore, and pressed them hard, teleporting into the TARDIS moments before the plane exploded.

~8~

The Doctor and Evy ran out of the TARDIS the moment it landed, having tracked Clara's sonic, to see they were in a graveyard, "Clara!" the Doctor shouted as they burst out the doors.

They stopped short though when they saw her.

She was sitting on a small, broken tombstone, her head in her hands, hunched over, her sonic gripped tightly in one hand…with Danny Pink, trapped in a Cyberman suit standing at attention a few feet behind her, just staring blankly forward.

"Clara…" Evy breathed, hurrying over to her side, "Clara are you ok?"

Clara sniffled and shook her head, turning and hugging Evy tightly as the Time Lady gathered her in her arms, holding her, the Doctor moving to crouch before them, "What happened?" he asked.

"He was hurting," Clara tried to get out, tried to take deep breaths, but it was too much for her, "He was in pain and he wanted it to stop," she sobbed, "So I stopped it."

The Doctor looked at Evy with a frown at that, "You…stopped it?" he shook his head.

"His emotional inhibitor was off."

That was all they needed to know to understand what she meant. Danny's inhibitor, for some reason, it hadn't activated…and Clara had done it for him, had turned off his emotions so he wouldn't feel the pain.

"I just wanted the pain to stop…"

"It's alright, Clara," Evy hugged her tighter, rocking her gently, "You did the right thing," she looked at the Doctor a moment, a meaningful look in her eyes.

He nodded, reaching out to squeeze Clara's knee before he stood and made his way over to Danny, staring the man on, "Danny," he began, "I need you to tell me, what are the clouds going to do? What is the plan? You're part of a hive mind now. You can look, and you can tell me."

Clearly the Cybers had no real orders at the moment if they were just standing there, so he hoped, prayed, that it meant they had no orders against speaking.

"The rain will fall again," Danny stated, his voice so flat and monotone that Clara flinched in Evy's arms, "All humanity will die."

"And rise again as Cybermen," the Doctor breathed.

"Correct."

"How do we stop it?"

"We cannot be stopped."

"Oh, that was _brilliant_!" Missy's voice called, making Evy jump to her feet and spin around to see the woman appear in a flash of blue teleportation, drifting down with an umbrella, a twisted Mary Poppins if ever there were one, "A bit anticlimactic though," she pouted at Evy and the Doctor, "I was hoping to see him actually do something to protect you for once," she huffed at the Doctor, "But you both just teleported. So boring!" she grinned, "I know though!" she pulled out the device Osgood had been working on, "Let's give him a challenge now…"

But before she could even touch it, it went flying out of her hand and into the Doctor's, Evy glaring at her in a way that let her know she'd used her telekinesis to pull the device away.

"That's cheating," Missy muttered at her accusingly, before rolling her eyes at Evy's expression, mirroring the Doctor's as well, "Oh, stop looking all cross-pants. I'm here to give you a gift. Could you at least _try_ and be excited?"

"What gift?" the Doctor nearly spat, moving over to Evy's side, glancing oddly at Cyber-Danny as he followed, seeming to move to stand behind them though…his stance seemed more defensive than at attention as the other Cybers were.

Missy just grinned, not seeming to notice as she lifted her wrist to speak into her wristband, "Cyber-dears!" she called, laughing at how they all jumped right to attention, "Look at Mummy! Raise your arms!" she beamed as they all did so, turning to eye each and every Cyber in sight as she continued, "Lower your arms. Raise your right. Lower your right. Turn on the spot."

The Doctor and Evy glanced at each other, noticing how Danny remained stationary, his gaze on Clara.

"There are exits at the front and rear of the aircraft," Missy continued, spinning around to face the other Time Lords again, the Cybermen acting out an airline exit skit, "Please follow the lights up the aisle. You see?" she beamed, "The power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing. Everyone who ever lived, man, woman, and child, is now at my command. An indestructible army to rage across the universe. The more they kill, the more they recruit," she held up her wrist once more and pulled the band off, tossing it to the Doctor who caught it with one hand.

"Doctor," the Cybermen around them suddenly turned to him, bowing their heads in obedience.

"Tiny bit pleased?" Missy chirped, "Oh, go on, crack a smile. I want to see if your eyebrows drop off."

"All of this," the Doctor shook his head, glancing at Evy who seemed equally confused and back, "All of it, just to give me an army?"

"Well, I don't need one, do I? You've already failed to protect my sister in the past," she sighed, "Perhaps if you have an army you might actually manage to keep her safe for once. And that's all I want," she looked at Evy with a soft smile, one that just…did not sit right on her face, "You safe, sis. You and your darling boy, that's right," she nodded, as though just thinking of LJ, "You can use them to keep his sweet little chubby cheeks safe too!"

"He doesn't need an army to protect me or our son," Evy shook her head, almost offended that Missy seemed to think SHE couldn't keep her own child safe either.

"And I don't want an army," the Doctor agreed.

"Ooh but just think of all those people you could have saved if you had one," Missy taunted, "Not even just my sister, but all those people suffering in the Dalek camps? Now you can save them as well. All those bad guys winning all the wars? Go and get the good guys back."

"Nobody can have that power."

"You will, because you don't have a choice," Missy continued, the 'smile' that had been on her face nor morphing into a more fitting smirk, "There's only way you can stop these clouds from opening up and killing all your little pets down here. Conquer the universe, make it safe for the two people that we BOTH care about."

The Doctor shook his head, not even needing to look at Evy to know she was just as against that as he was and tossed the band to the side, Evy catching it.

"Why are you doing this?" the Doctor demanded, stepping towards Missy, "Tell me the truth!"

"I did," she rolled her eyes, "Though perhaps not all of it," she giggled, "I do want my baby sis safe, I don't think you're capable of it without an army at your disposal. But I also need you to know we're not so different," she pouted, "The three of us," she looked at her sister, "We're all not that different. And I want that back. I need my friend back. I want my sister back. So, from now on, you two are in charge," she put her hands on her hips, "From now on, every battle, every war, every invasion, every conflict, YOU decide the outcome. What's the matter?" she smirked at the Doctor, "Don't you trust yourself? Well, I have a few minds here from an Adelaide Brooks that tells me you SHOULD be concerned…"

"I trust him," Evy stepped to his side, but handed the wristband back to Clara, "I trust him, and that's what matters. Whatever he does, I know he'll do the right thing. No matter if he has you whispering in his ear or trying to bait him. Because we are NOT alike, and I'm sorry, but we're not. HE's the Doctor, he's my Link, he's our child's father, and that's all that matters."

"Yes…" the Doctor breathed, his eyes widening as a thought hit him, "Yes of course!" he beamed, spinning to kiss Evy quickly as Missy stuck out her tongue and grimaced, actually going so far as to mutter 'ick' under her breath, before he pulled away to smile at his Link, "I really didn't know. I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes."

"Lost, dear," Evy shook her head at him, his mind was racing so fast she could barely keep up.

"I am _not_ a good man," he declared, "But I am not a bad man either. I am not a hero. And I'm definitely not a villain. And no, I'm not an officer," he pointed at Danny as well, "Do you know what I am?"

"An idiot?" Evy blinked at what he was going on about, ranting like a madman in the middle of all this.

"Yes!" he cheered, "I _am_ an idiot, with a box and a screwdriver, with a lovely Link and a magnificent son. Just passing through, helping out, learning. I don't need an army to protect the ones I love," he pointed at Missy, "I never have, because I've got her," he nodded at Evy, "And this," he pointed at his head, "And them," he gestured at Clara, the girl silent but attentive behind Evy, "Always them. Because love, it's not an emotion. Love is a promise. And it comes in many forms. It's romantic, it's familial, it's friendship!" he turned and quickly snagged the wrist band out of Clara's hand, tossing it to Danny, "You didn't notice, did you?" he rounded on Missy again, "While you were doing all your silly orders, while you were showing off, the one soldier not obeying."

Missy's grin started to fade as she looked at Danny, the only one not staring at the Doctor and waiting for orders, "No, that's wrong."

"Just like the too-tall guard?" Evy teased, starting to smile.

"That's impossible!"

"It IS!" the Doctor agreed, "Evy isn't the only Impossible Girl around, and Clara's important to more than just us, isn't she, Mr. Pink?"

"The rain will not fall," Cyber-Danny declared, putting the control band on his wrist, making the Cybers turn and face him, awaiting orders.

"Oh?" Missy shook her head, "Why won't it?"

Cyber-Danny turned to her, starting to stomp his way towards her, "The clouds will burn."

"And who'll burn them?"

"I will burn them."

"How?"

"I will burn."

"Danny…" Clara breathed, Evy quickly moving to her side, her arm around Clara's shoulders in support as Clara worked out what Danny was planning.

Missy just rolled her eyes, "One burning Cyberman is hardly going to save the planet."

"Correct," Cyber-Danny turned on his heel, lifting his wrist to speak into the band, "Attention!" he called the Cybers' focus to himself, "This is not a good day. This is Earth's darkest hour. And look at you miserable lot. We are the Fallen. But today, we shall rise. The army of the dead will save the land of the living. This is not the order of a general, nor the whim of a lunatic."

"Excuse me?" Missy huffed at the insult.

"This is a promise. The promise of a soldier!" he turned and looked at Clara, "You will be safe tonight and all nights after. This is my promise…to my friend," he gave her a brief nod as Clara closed her eyes in sorrow before stomping his boots to activate the rockets, rising into the air, the other Cybers following him up.

They looked up, watching the metal men rise and rise and rise…until, moments later, there was an enormous explosion in the middle of the clouds, fire igniting through them, burning them away, letting the light shine down once more.

"The clouds have all gone," Clara whispered.

"Yes," the Doctor reached out to take Clara's hand, squeezing it in comfort, seeing the tears in her eyes at the fact that Danny had been in the middle of it.

"He did it to save you, Clara," Evy told her, "To protect you," she squeezed Clara's shoulder so she would look over, "You don't do that for someone you haven't forgiven."

Clara nodded at that, tears slipping from her eyes at the message, Danny had forgiven her, Danny didn't blame her for his death…and now…now he'd had a heroes death, saving the world, saving her.

"10-0-11-0-0 by 0-2," Missy spoke quietly.

"What did you say?" the Doctor looked over at her, recognizing the coordinates but not understanding why she was saying them.

Missy smiled sadly, "The current coordinates of Gallifrey. It's returned to its original location. Didn't you ever think to look?"

"You are lying!"

"We can…we can go together," Missy looked between the two of them, "Just the three of us. Just like the old days…"

The Doctor shook his head, "You'd be clapped in irons."

"If you like."

"Last time I asked you," Evy stared at her, frowning, "I asked you, I BEGGED you to stay with me, not to leave me…even if it meant being a prisoner in the TARDIS. You died, you would have rather died than that…"

"Things change," Missy swallowed hard, "People change. WE, especially, change," she tried to make a weak joke about regeneration.

Clara shook her head and reached out, snatching Missy's 'phone' out of the Doctor's hand, the man not even seeming to realize he'd still been holding it, and holding it out at the woman.

"Clara don't!" Evy quickly moved in front of her, blocking Clara's aim of Missy, seeming to shock the woman though Clara didn't seem surprised, "Don't you dare…"

"You can't let her go," Clara shook her head, "You can't just…just take her away, even in chains. She'll escape, she always escapes, she'll do this again and again, she won't stop," she looked at Evy, tears falling down her cheeks, "She'll just keep hurting people. She'll hurt you one day, you and…and LJ…she'll go too far and she'll hurt you…"

"She already has," Evy swallowed hard, holding her hands up to try and calm Clara down, unable to see Missy's expression behind her, the woman looking at her with regret and a thoughtful though mounting horror and realization, "She's hurt me, many times already. I know she won't stop. I know she won't change," she admitted, "But she is my sister, she is my family. And I…" her voice broke, "I can't let you kill her. I can't lose her a third time."

"Evy," Missy called from behind her, making Evy look at her over her shoulder, trusting the Doctor, who had stepped closer to Clara to try and talk her down as well, mentioning the Captain and how that woman was his aunt too, "Say something nice," she murmured, tears in her eyes, "Please?"

Evy dropped her arms a bit, frowning, "What…"

"Please," Missy pleased, "Just…one thing nice."

Evy took a breath, "Thank you."

Missy smiled at that, nodding shakenly, "I love you sis," she offered, "But I suppose you're right," she swallowed hard, "Seems, I haven't changed."

Before Evy could react, Missy lifted her other arm, a secondary bracelet on her wrist and moved to press it, to teleport out…

Only for a blast of blue light to hit her just as she reached it, coming from behind them.

They spun around to see a Cyberman standing there, staring at them before pointing to the side and marching away.

Evy looked back at where Missy had just been standing, her mouth open for a moment before she forced it shut, turning the moment she felt the Doctor touch her shoulder to let him wrap his arms around her and hold her as she tried not to cry for her sister being blasted in front of her. She tried to remind herself of everything Missy had done, of all the horrors and trauma that the woman had committed, but…she was her sister, she would always be her sister. She'd only just gotten her back…and she was gone again.

It wasn't fair.

But it also wasn't fair what the woman had put Clara through, or done to Kate, or left the world to…

She took a deep breath, pulling away from the Doctor to wipe her face, only for him to do it with the sleeve of his coat, "It's ok to cry," he told her, and she could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes too, "We both cared for her at one point, and we both lost her."

She nodded, sniffling a deep breath to try and control herself, "How are we going to explain it to LJ?" she asked him, the boy knew the woman had been his aunt…and now she was gone.

"I don't know," was all he could say.

It was a hard thing to do, both to mourn the Master/Missy and yet try to understand that it was to protect the world. It was hard, because she was still all they had left of their old lives on Gallifrey. Clara and LJ were wonderful additions, but the woman was their past, their tie to their home planet, to their lives and pasts…and now she was gone, again.

"You never know," Evy tried to smile, "My brother was a stubborn bastard. I can only imagine what my sister's like. Maybe she'll come back?"

He nodded slowly, "If she does…we'll capture her first, save the planet later, and make sure she stays in the TARDIS."

Evy chuckled a bit, though relieved he was agreeing to take the woman in if they ever found her appearing back yet again, "The TARDIS will have some words for her about the whole Paradox Machine thing."

"Ooh yes," he nodded, "I'll make popcorn for it."

Evy laughed more at that, leaning in to hug him once more, just taking comfort in his embrace.

"Doctor!" when Clara shouted from somewhere else in the graveyard, "Evy! Over here! Hurry!"

They turned and ran off, following Clara's voice to see that she had followed the Cyberman while they'd gotten distracted in their grief to find Kate lying on the ground.

"She's breathing!" Clara told them as they rushed over, "She's alive!"

"But how?" the Doctor shook his head.

"She was thrown out of a plane," Evy agreed.

"A Cyberman must have caught her," Clara shrugged, before falling silent, "She was…she was talking about her dad."

The Doctor blinked and straightened, starting to look around, "Of course. The Earth's darkest hour and mine…" he trailed off spotting the lone Cyberman that had pointed Kate out to them standing not too far away, "Where else would you be?" he smiled at the Cyber, just knowing it was the Brig controlling it, and gave the man a well earned salute, "Thank you."

The Cyberman bowed his head in acknowledgement before it stomped its feet and flew into the sky.'

~8~

"Clara!" LJ cried as he dashed through a small café that his parents were meeting Clara at a few weeks later, hurrying to her side to hug her tightly.

"Hello, LJ," she smiled at him, scooping him up to place him on her lap as she looked at the Doctor and Evy sitting down across from her.

"We got your message," Evy smiled at her, reaching out to put a hand on Clara's on top of the table, Clara's other arm wrapped securely around LJ's middle as the Doctor slid him a paper and crayons to use while they talked.

"Two weeks?" the Doctor double checked.

Clara nodded, "Right on time then," she smiled at them slightly, she'd requested, after Danny died a second time, that they give her a couple weeks to recover, to get through the end of the school year before she decided what to do next. Just…needing a break from aliens and time travel and enemies for just a bit.

"Did Danny…" Evy began tentatively, not seeing the man there.

"No," Clara swallowed.

Evy had told her that the wrist band Danny had been wearing when he'd taken command of the Cybers had another use. It could open a sort of portal, allow one of those that had been converted by the Cybers to return to their normal life, alive and healthy and whole again. She had been hoping that Danny would come through…but it hadn't been him that appeared in her flat.

"He sent a boy," Clara explained, "One that got hurt during his time in the army. He asked me to get him home to his parents, and I did, with some help from a friend," she gave them a meaningful look, telling them the Captain had helped transport the boy for her, "What about you? Did you…did you find Gallifrey?"

Their sad smiles were all the answer she needed to know that, whatever Missy had told them, whatever hopes they'd gotten up…had been dashed, Gallifrey was still missing.

"Sorry."

"It's ok," Evy tried to wave it off.

"No it's not," Clara shook her head at that.

"No," the Doctor agreed, "It's not."

"Listen…" Clara began, "I've been thinking, I've been talking it over…and I think I need a break," she told them quietly, "I was going to ask for one after the Blitzer but…things escalated and…and I think I need it now. With everything that's happened, I just…I need time, to…to heal, to get things in order."

"Clara," Evy squeezed her hand, "You take as much time as you need. We've got a time machine, whenever you're ready, we will be too."

"It won't be forever," she promised, "Maybe the summer, maybe a mother or two longer. I don't want it to be forever. I…I love the travelling, it…it makes me feel really special, travelling with you three. Like I'm just a little bit more of an Impossible Girl each time," she smiled but it was a sad one, "I just…I need time."

"We understand," the Doctor nodded, "You just ring us up when you're ready."

Clara smiled at them, "Thank you, for understanding," they just nodded at her, "Ooh, but I am going to miss you little man," she pressed a kiss to the top of LJ's head.

LJ frowned up at her, "You leave?"

She nodded sadly, "Just for a bit," she promised, almost crossing her hearts but stopping, "Just a little while, and then I'll be back and ready to go," she winked at him.

LJ just stared up at her a moment before turning and pulling the paper he'd been drawing on to shove it up at her face.

She laughed as she took it, seeing that he'd drawn stick figures of herself, Evy, the Doctor, and himself, standing in front of a big blue box, "I love it," she told him, giving his tummy a little tickle, "I'll hang it up in my flat just for you."

"We should go," Evy spoke after a moment.

"Yes," the Doctor agreed, standing, "The sooner this break starts the sooner it ends, eh?"

Clara nodded, "Yeah," and stood too, setting LJ on the floor, the boy clinging to her hand as they left the café, heading to the TARDIS just across the small way, "I'll see you three soon," she promised them, moving to hug Evy tightly.

"You better," Evy laughed, "Or else this one might just pop in unannounced," she nodded at the Doctor.

He pointed at her like he was going to argue, before he nodded, conceding that he probably would.

Clara chuckled and lunged in, hugging him tightly before he could protest, "If you don't hear from me in 6 months, feel free to pop in and scare the daylights out of me then."

"Will do," he murmured, patting her back.

She had only just stepped back when LJ clung to her legs, "Miss you," he muttered into them.

She smiled at the little boy and knelt down, gently prying his arms from around her to hug him properly, "I'll miss you too," she told him, "All of you," she looked up at his parents a moment before the boy let go, letting her stand up and step back.

Evy gave her a small wave as they opened the doors to the TARDIS and got in, the box disappearing moments later, leaving Clara with a small smile on her face, nodding before she turned to head back to her flat.

~8~

Evy sighed as she stepped into the console room, moving over to where the Doctor was solemnly staring at the monitor, the coordinates for Gallifrey still on screen, and wound her arms around him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder. It had taken three stories to get LJ to go to bed just then, the boy was so upset about Clara leaving for so long. They trusted that the TARDIS would be able to patch through a call from her no matter if they skipped ahead a few months, but they didn't want to risk something going wrong and had decided to stay relatively parallel to her timeline for the next few months, making sure they would get her call the moment she made it.

It would be long and trying, but worth it if all went well…

Evy winced as she thought that, for a second later there was a knock on the door.

A knock in the middle of deep space.

A knock that should not have been possible.

"Hello?" a voice called through it, "Doctor? Evelyn Daniels? Time Lords in charge of Clara Oswald? Sorry to say but she may need your help and rather quickly. So I'm coming in."

They looked over to see the door open, and their eyes widened at what looked like Father Christmas standing in the doorway, grinning at them.

"Ah, there you are," he beamed, "I knew I'd get round to you eventually. Now, stop gawping, and tell me. What do you want for Christmas?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the little changes here :) I wanted Missy's reasoning to be both a sort of devious almost deluded one, but also have tones of sanity in there with caring for her family...but also have that completely warped by her madness in how she goes about it. There was a chapter in a spin-off story to this, only posted on FF.net, where River and J meet Astrid right as Clara is entering the shop and I've sort of hinted that Astrid was the one to give the number to Clara through this series, but I wanted Missy to have a hand in it. Because Astrid wouldn't just give the number out to anyone, if she thought it was the Doctor's companion calling to tell her to do it, she would though ;)
> 
> Just 1 episode left and the story's over! O.O
> 
> Next chapter...will LJ want another pet? Why doesn't this Santa look like Jeff? Is it really wise to have a toddler around the North Pole?


	23. Last Christmas (Part 1)

The Doctor and Evy hurriedly piloted the TARDIS, homing in on Clara's location as they ducked around each other to get the box there as fast as possible, LJ in his little pen, standing up with his hands gripping the edge of it, watching them in concern. They had encountered a man that was calling himself Santa Claus, who said something about Clara needing them, before he'd just laughed and turned back to his sleigh and taken off. They'd tracked him, not sure what the man was or who he even really was…and saw him landing at Clara's flat and they were after him, flying through space and time, right to the Powell Estate roof on Christmas Eve.

How the man had managed to get a hold of time travel tech they would worry about later, right now they had to get to Clara.

They turned and bolted out of the box, ignoring LJ's shouts to take him with them, knowing they were going to try and get Clara into the box first and not having the time to waste.

"Clara!" the Doctor shouted as they burst out the doors to see Clara in a nightie and dressing gown, gaping at 'Santa' and two other smaller men with pointed ears, his elves, "Clara go into the TARDIS."

"Please," Evy added, the two of them holding their sonics at the man, "Now."

Clara blinked and looked at them, startled, before pointing at Santa in question.

"That was good, with the box," one of the elves remarked.

"Hmph," the other harrumphed, "Not often we get upstaged on a rooftop. Hmm."

"Clara," Evy glanced back over at her, "I know, you didn't call us yet, but you need to get into the TARDIS."

"Now," the Doctor repeated.

Clara nodded mutely and hurried to the box, stepping inside and closing the doors behind her, leaving the two other Time Lords on her roof.

"We know what this is," the Doctor warned 'Santa,' "We know what's happening, and we know what's at stake."

Santa sighed, "I don't think you do. But I promise, before this Christmas Day is done, you will be glad of my help."

The Doctor nearly sneered at that, glancing at Evy who nodded and started to step back for the TARDIS, opening the doors as the Doctor offered a "Happy Easter," to the men, following her back, but keeping his sonic out and aimed, defensive.

"Ooh, brutal!" the second elf sniggered.

"Cool exit line, though," the first agreed.

"Be sure to save some room for a tangerine, Doctor," Santa merely smiled at him.

"Nobody likes the tangerines," the Doctor muttered, stepping into the TARDIS and slamming the doors shut.

"No one likes a satsuma either," Evy murmured, "But they're helpful, aren't they?"

The Doctor just let out a breath at that, taking her hand as they headed up to the console, seeing Clara had already taken LJ out of his little play pen and was holding him, the boy babbling excitedly about the all the adventures and places he wanted to go, and did she SEE Father Christmas!?

"Clara, are you alright?" Evy stepped over to her.

"I'm fine," Clara nodded, "What was that all about? Was that actually Santa Claus?"

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "No, we know Father Christmas and that was not Jeff."

Clara blinked at that, "Jeff?"

"It's a long story," Evy waved it off, moving to the console to set the coordinates.

"I didn't call you," Clara mused as she watched the Time Lords get to work, "You were supposed to wait for me to call you."

"We know," the Doctor sighed, "But…things came up," he offered as a weak explanation, "And right now Clara, there's something more important you need to consider, a question you have to ask yourself, and your life may depend on it. Everybody's life," he turned to her, serious, "Do you really believe in Santa Claus?"

Clara let out a small laugh at that, glancing down from LJ to his parents, "Do you know what? I just might," she mused, "He brings the Cap'n to complete this little meetup and I might."

"Then we need to figure out what he's up to," Evy mumbled, "Before he can track the Captain down too," she reached out and pulled a lever, sending the TARDIS off, backtracking the energy signal that they'd gotten off of 'Santa' to its originating location.

They had no idea what this 'Santa' character was up to. She'd already lost her brother, she was not going to lose any version of her son either.

~8~

A strange base in the North Pole, an infirmary, with a woman screaming was NOT what any of the Time Lords thought they would encounter when they set the TARDIS down just outside the base…one that did not look like Santa's Workshop, and ran towards the nearest door to get inside and out of the cold. Clara had changed out of her night clothes in preparation and LJ was all bundled up, so much so that only his eyes were visible, but they were not taking chances with the below freezing temperatures and had hurried in.

Only to be confronted with a woman that seemed to be air-guitaring on her knees in the middle of an infirmary, four bodies lying on four beds with what appeared to be a rock surrounding their faces, before she started to scream, making LJ cover his ears even over his earmuffs.

"We've…we've got ghosts!" the woman cried, "Yeah, yeah. It's a skeleton man, a mob bossette, and…and…" she blinked seeing Clara and LJ just in their winter gear, "And a girl and baby?"

"Not baby!" LJ huffed, struggling to pull the scarf that had been put over his nose and mouth down so he could effectively pout at the woman…though he couldn't quite get his arms to bend into crossing with the padding of his winter jacket.

Clara nearly jumped when she heard the door they'd entered through close behind them and turned to see the Doctor standing at the foot of a bed while Evy leaned over a prone form on it, scanning it with her sonic, "Doctor, what…"

"No, no, no!" the woman cried, having followed Clara's gaze to the beds, turning away and covering her ears, "You're making me think about them. Don't make me think about them!"

Clara eyed the woman oddly before shaking her head and moving to the Doctor's side, "What are they?"

Evy jumped back as the body before her jerked up into a sitting position at the exact same time as the other three did the same.

"Oh not this again," the Doctor muttered, thinking about Albion Hospital, the gasmasked victims of the Chula warship, this was reminding him far too much of that event.

"Look," the girl behind them called, "Just don't ask, yeah? And don't look. Don't make me think about them."

Evy tried to lean forward, squinting at the rocklike coverings over the faces of the people on the beds, noting that it wasn't just rock but appeared almost slimy, breathing even, and quickly scanned it with her sonic, "Deaf," she called to the Doctor, "Blind as well…" she shook her head, "Then how can they see? How do they know we're here?"

"Telepathic?" Clara guessed, "Maybe they can hear us? Why else would she not want to think about them?" she nodded at the girl.

"Oh that's good," the Doctor glanced at Clara who smiled at the praise, "That is very good. Clever Clara."

"They can only see you, if you see them," the girl explained, "So just…so just don't look, don't even think about them!"

Evy eyed the person before her, nudging at their mind a bit, nodding, "They're homing in on what we're seeing. Using someone else's brain and eyes to perceive the world around them."

"Mind piracy," the Doctor murmured, "We're being hacked."

"What does that even mean?" Clara frowned, reaching out to pull Evy back as the four figures began to rise off the beds, standing beside them.

"The visual input from your optic nerve is being streamed to their brains," the Doctor explained quickly, "Stop broadcasting. Close your eyes!" he called to them all, reaching out to take Evy's hand as he did the same, shutting his eyes as Clara did too.

Evy glanced at the creatures, before putting a hand on LJ's back, closing her eyes.

"They're still coming, aren't they?" Clara breathed, able to hear them.

"You're still thinking of them, Clara," Evy warned, "Think of the wall, like with the Teller. Imagine the wall."

"So here it is, Merry Christmas…" the girl behind them, sitting curled up on the floor began to sing to herself quietly.

"Or sing," Evy shrugged, "Whatever works, whatever distracts you."

"504 minus 17," the Doctor called out, both to Evy and Clara, using recreational mathematics to help keep their minds off the four beings that were still shuffling about the room.

"Sorry, what?" Clara frowned.

"Plus 20. Just do it."

"Um…507!" Clara answered, her mind racing now.

"Minus 14, times 4."

"1972," Evy called, more promptly than Clara.

"Minus 1917!"

"55!" LJ clapped, liking this game.

The Doctor tensed more and more, feeling Evy's grip on his hand grow stronger as they sensed the four others were right beside them now, far too close for comfort. He squeezed her hand back, trying to subtly tell her NOT to use her power on the four, not to use it to throw them back. If they were able to see and hear and move through use of another's mind, what would happen if there was another power available to them?

He had just opened his mouth to throw out another number, when the doors to the infirmary flew open and three other people, two women, one older, and an older man ran in with three very large guns in their hands, starling the five others in the room to opening their eyes and looking over at the intrusion.

"Go!" the younger of the two women though the one that appeared in charge ordered, "Run, now, now, now!"

Evy grabbed the Doctor's hand tighter and pulled him towards the doors with LJ in his arms, Clara stumbling only to help the girl on the ground up and after them…when a mass of large spiders that seemed to be made of a slimy rock dropped down from the ceiling after them.

It was a mess of explosions and blasts, lights flashing as the spiders dropped, the lights going off only to flash back on as the door they'd entered through was blasted open, a…tangerine rolling it?

Followed by a small series of little toys, small robots, multicolored slinkies…

And a reindeer with a bright red nose just outside in the snow rearing up on its hind legs…with Santa sitting on its back.

"What on Earth…" Evy shook her head at the ridiculousness of the sight, she and the Doctor, along with Clara and the girl, huddled just to the side of their would-be rescuers, all of them watching as Santa hopped off the animal and made his way into the room, patting his tubby gut, his elves moving to flank him with a balloon toy and an airgun.

"Well, now," the man grinned, "What seems to be the problem? This is the North Pole. We don't want any trouble here…" he sighed as Rudolph let out a noise, "Hey, Rudolph," he turned, pressing a car key and causing Rudolph's nose to let out a blink of light and a small beep, "Easy, son. Oi!" he frowned at the four standing, stoic figures, waving at them to shoo them back to the beds, "Sleepy heads! It's Christmas Eve, early to bed," he clapped his hands and the four figures just…turned and walked back to the beds.

"Who the hell are you?" the young woman, the captain, demanded, eyeing Santa up and down.

"Oh, take a guess," the Doctor rolled his eyes, "Go on, push the boat out. Tooth Fairy, maybe? Easter Bunny?"

"Not-Jeff!" LJ answered, clapping though trying to say that it was Santa…but also not the right Santa.

"Now, this is ridiculous," the girl that had screamed at them whispered, "Am I…am I dreaming?"

"Oh, very good," the Doctor nodded at the theory.

The captain just strode forward the moment the four other figures had laid back down on the beds, right up to 'Santa' and pointed her gun at his considerable middle, "I need to know exactly who you are, and what's happening here."

Santa sighed and pushed the gun to the side with a finger, "Hello, Ashley," he greeted instead, "Lead scientist on a polar expedition. Oh, that microscope really paid off, didn't it? Now, your mum and dad wanted me to get you a toy one, but sometimes, I take a chance."

"Who are you?" Ashley frowned, "Why are you dressed like that?"

"Why do you think?"

"Come on, this is mental," the girl behind them grumbled, "This is totally not happening."

"I got three words, Shona. Don't make me use 'em."

The girl, Shona, narrowed her eyes at that, "What three words?"

"My. Little. Pony."

"Shut up, you!"

"Yeah? I've got lots more, babe."

"I will mark you, Santa," she lifted her hands, but instead of fists she made claws instead.

"Ok," Clara blinked and shook her head, turning around to face the Doctor and Evy, "Are you going to explain? What is going on?"

"It's an invasion, Miss Oswald," Santa called instead, making her spin around to face him.

"An invasion of, of what, elves?"

"Whoa!" the second elf huffed, " _That_ is racist."

"Elfist!" the first gave a firm nod of agreement.

"Yeah. Which is a bit hypocritical, from someone of your height," he put a hand above his own head and then down to the tip of his forehead, indicating HE was just a little taller than she was.

Santa gave a soft chuckle at that and made his way back to Rudolph, pulling what appeared to be a clear specimen container that said '16367/KB' written on it from the saddlebag, patting Rudolph before he headed back into the infirmary, "Huh?" he tossed it to Evy to catch as the Doctor was holding LJ, "You seen them before, Doctor?"

"I've heard of them," the Doctor straightened, glancing at the beds.

"The Kantrofarri."

"Colloquially known as the Dream Crabs."

"Yeah," Santa nodded, "Depending on how many of those are already on Earth, the human race may well have seen its last day. So, are we going to stand about arguing about whether I'm real or not, or are we going to get busy saving Christmas?"

"Oh, ho, ho!" the first elf high fived the second, "Santa goes badass!"

"He's giving me the feels!" the second elf giggled.

"Oi!" Evy snapped at them, "Language!" she huffed, nodding at her son, thankfully too interested in the specimen container to have heard the elves cursing.

~8~

"No, no," Evy reached out to gently take LJ's hand as the boy sat on an examination table, another Dream Crab lying in a specimen container, the boy having tried to open it so he could touch it, "No touching, LJ," he opened his mouth, "And no, you are NOT getting a Dream Crab as a pet."

He huffed and pouted, crossing his arms now that he was out of most of his winter wear and in the warm facility.

Clara, who was leaning down, her hands resting on the table, to look at the container level with it, frowned, "Is it dead?"

"I don't know," the Doctor sighed, "Possibly."

Ashley, the only member of the crew to have accompanied them, while Shona kept watch on Santa and the other two, a woman named Bellows and a man called Albert monitoring the sleeping victims of the Dream Crabs, eyed the trio a moment before offering, "I'm assuming extra-terrestrial."

"This…definitely would not be naturally found on Earth," Evy agreed.

"Then how can you have heard of these things?"

"Guess," the Doctor gave her a look.

Ashley frowned, "Because you're extra-terrestrial, too?"

"Do you believe that?"

Ashley didn't answer, just brought up another question, "Why's it called a Dream Crab, for a start?"

"Guess," Evy mimicked the Doctor.

"They like doing that," Clara offered the woman as she narrowed her eyes at them, "They like challenging you."

Ashley sighed, "Because it generates a telepathic field?"

"And?" Clara smiled at her, getting in and just knowing that it couldn't possibly be it, not when it came to the Doctor and Evy.

"Alters perception."

"And?"

"I seem to be doing all the work here…"

"Sorry," Clara gave a small chuckle, "I've always wanted to do that," before offering, "And that means that nothing we see or hear can be trusted."

"Go to the window," the Doctor nodded at a small porthole in the wall, seeing Ashley didn't seem completely sold.

"Why?" the girl hesitated.

"Trust us," Evy murmured, "Go to the window and look outside. Tell us what you see."

Ashley eyed them a moment before moving over to the wall, peering outside, "Why's there a police telephone box outside?"

"TARDIS!" LJ clapped.

"How did that get here?" Ashley turned back to them.

"Because WE brought it here," Evy explained.

"It's a spaceship in disguise," the Doctor added, "You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?"

"What?" Ashley nearly groaned.

"They're both ridiculous."

"Even more so with this one here," Clara nodded at the Doctor, "He just amplifies how ridiculous it really is. Especially his eyebrows."

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed at that.

"The main problem," Evy cut in, getting them to point, "Is that it makes it much more difficult to know what's real and what's false."

Ashley stiffened as a thought hit her and glanced at the Dream Crab, "Are we in danger?"

"Oh, we are well way past danger," the Doctor scoffed, "If I'm right, and I usually am…"

"Et hem?" Evy crossed her arms, amused at that.

"Liar," LJ tugged on his sleeve, "Bad! Lying bad!"

The Doctor sighed but nodded, patting LJ's head, "Alright, I'm right most of the time…"

"Pants are so on fire," Evy teased.

"At least 3/4 of the time…"

"Still lying," she sing-songed.

"Half?"

Evy just made a small space between her finger and thumb.

"Oh alright," he huffed, "I say something clever and hope it's true most of the time."

Evy laughed and stepped closer to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "You are right sometimes," she amended, "But don't get overconfident," she pointed a warning finger at him.

"Sorry, what IS going on?" Ashley cut in, not caring who was wrong or right or how often, just wanting SOMEONE to tell her what might be happening.

The Doctor let out a breath of air, his hand coming up to rest on LJ's back, "We're dying."

"Then how do we stay alive?"

The Doctor observed her a moment, "I like you. Straight to the point. I want you to show us how you first encountered those creatures, and what happened to those people in the infirmary. I notice you all wear mini-cams," he gestured to something clipped to her work vest, "So I assume that there is footage?"

"Is it possible I'm about to work with someone who might be a dream?" Ashley hesitated to move.

"It's very possible," Evy nodded, "As possible as it is that we are too."

Ashley huffed, not pleased with that answer at all, "We have footage on the drives. I'll see what I can pull up."

"Ashley," Clara called out, glancing around and back to her, "What's this place for anyway? Why are you here to begin with?"

"It's a long story," was all Ashley said before she stepped out of the room, leaving the aliens alone.

"So we're dying, then?" Clara looked at the two of them, crossing her arms and lifting her eyebrow.

"Possibly," Evy sighed, really not happy about that, looking at her son who didn't appear to be dying but just…knowing the danger they were in, it wasn't a good thought that LJ was there.

"Why?"

"Oh, complicated," the Doctor murmured, looking at LJ as well, the same thoughts as Evy running through his head.

"How long do we have?"

"No idea."

"Then what to we do?"

"Trust nothing. Accept nothing you see. Whatever happens, interrogate everything."

"In case it's a lie?"

Evy nodded, "Got it in one."

~8~

The Doctor, Evy, LJ, and Clara followed Ashley into the control room of the base, the girl having found the records the Doctor had requested, only to see Shona in the middle of trying to interrogate Santa Clause, though it seemed the girl was more frustrated than intimidating, "Reindeer can't fly. They just can't!"

"No," Santa shook his head though it seemed he was agreeing with her, "No, they can't. It's a scientific impossibility. That is why I feed mine magic carrots."

"Are you ok, Shona?" Evy eyed the girl who was starting to look murderous, clearly she hadn't been around many irritating and patience-trying men in her life.

' _I heard that,_ ' the Doctor lightly groused in her mind, which just made Evy smirk.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Shona huffed, "I'm trying to talk sense into er, Beardy-Weirdy."

The Doctor eyed her for that remark, "You don't seem much like a scientist."

"SHE doesn't?" Evy scoffed, "Shall we discuss the use of timey-wimey in Time Lord vocabulary?"

"Yeah, don't be rude," Shona agreed, though she had no idea what Evy was talking about, "Especially coming from you Mr. Magician."

"Why are you out here?" the Doctor frowned at the girl, clearly the farthest thing from science material as possible, "What brought you to the North Pole?"

"Long story, isn't it?" Shona shrugged.

"You missed the killer question," he pointed out after a moment of looking at her intently.

"Sorry, what?"

"Beardy-Weirdy?" he glanced at Santa.

"Yeah?" Santa blinked.

"How do you get all the presents in the sleigh?"

He grinned, "It's bigger on the inside."

Evy's eyes narrowed at that, there was only one way to gain access to tech like that, only one race that could truly pull it off that way…and Santa was no Time Lord, she was sure of it.

But before she could even comment, Ashley was calling them over to a series of monitors, "Doctor? Evy?"

"Sorry," Albert, the older male scientist, murmured as he gnawed on a turkey leg…not something you would think you'd see in the North Pole, "Starving."

The Doctor shook his head at that as he and Evy moved with Clara to stand before the monitors, watching footage, "What are we looking at?"

"Footage from a week ago," Bellows, the female scientist, offered, playing the footage of what appeared to be someone walking through a dark icy cave, "A side expedition from our main mission."

"And what's that then?" Evy glanced at her, "The main mission?"

"Long story," Bellows smiled apologetically at her, though it just made Evy's already furrowed brow deepen, there was that phrase, 'long story,' yet again. A quick glance at the Doctor told her he noticed it too though Clara and LJ, who was in Evy's arms, seemed unaware, "Ice cave directly beneath this base. Now, look at what we found…" she pointed to the monitors as the person wearing the camera reached what looked like a cluster of rocks hanging on a large icicle, but they knew it wasn't rocks but the Dream Crabs, "Dormant at first…"

"Till you started examining them," Evy murmured, understanding, "You looked at them, thought of them, and they came alive."

"Exactly."

"Sleeping at first," the Doctor observed the footage, "Probably been down there for centuries…"

"And it wakes up when you think about it?" Clara double checked.

The Doctor nodded, "They can detect their own mental picture in any nearby mind."

"That's Bellows' theory," Ashley confirmed.

"It's like it responds to the presence of any data concerning itself," Bellows agreed.

"Oh, that was always the legend," the Doctor sighed, frowning as he watched the person in the footage reach out for the crab, "You think about a Dream Crab, a Dream Crab is coming for you."

"This is where it gets really nasty," Albert warned, more for the women's sakes.

"Only now?" Clara asked weakly, though she jumped, startled, when the crab in the footage threw itself off the icicle and attacked the person with the camera, latching onto them.

LJ, however, just started laughing at how Clara had been spooked, making her send a light-glare at him for it.

"Ok," the Doctor shook his head, "Then what happened?"

Bellows sighed and swapped the footage for the infirmary, not a livefeed but another recording of them trying to get four victims onto the beds for examination and rest.

"They're a bit like Facehuggers, aren't they?" Albert mused.

The Doctor turned to him, utterly confused, "Facehuggers?"

Evy rubbed her head, "It's from a horror movie called 'Alien,'" she told him, "Jack made me watch it with the team once I was recovered enough, thought it would be funny."

"There's a horror movie called 'Alien?'" the Doctor gave her an incredulous look, "That's really offensive."

"I agree," Evy smiled a bit, just slightly amused, "We don't have a movie called 'Pudding Brains,' it's no wonder the Earth is the most invaded planet."

"First, they just slept," Bellows got them back on track, "Couple of days, just lying there…"

"And then they became aggressive," the Doctor guessed.

Ashley nodded, on the cusp of being suspicious as to how he knew, "If we got close enough, yeah."

"It would take the Dream Crab a little while to take control," the Doctor eyed the footage as it froze with an image of the four prone figures on the beds, "Depends how much of the host brain was…"

"Was what?"

"Digested."

Ashley grimaced at that, "Are they still alive under those things?!"

"That depends as well," Evy sighed, shaking her head at the footage, "The brain is what keeps the body alive, while it's still active, then yes…they are alive."

"Are they suffering?" Ashley breathed, horrified.

"No," the Doctor said quickly, seeing LJ look up at him at that question, his eye wide, not wanting the humans to be in pain, "No, no. no, no, no. The Dream Crab induces a dream state. Keeps you happy and relaxed, in a perfectly realized dream world, as you dissolve. Merciful, I suppose."

"Compared to what?" Albert gaped at the horrific description.

"Compared to that turkey leg you keep eating," the Doctor gestured at him, before rounding on Bellows, "Could you rewind for me? I'd like to see them dormant again. Clara, could you fetch me the dead one?"

"Do I have to?" Clara winced, "They creep me out…"

"It's alright Clara," Evy patted her arm, handing LJ over to her, "I've got it."

"Thank you," Clara breathed, there was just something about that crab that reminded her too much of the lives in her head, all the different realities she had swimming around in there, she'd rather avoid dealing with something that created another one.

Evy nodded her head at that, leaning over to kiss the Doctor's cheek before heading out for the lab.

~8~

Evy stepped into the lab portion of the base, but stopped short when she noticed broken glass on the floor. She slowly pulled out her sonic and entered cautiously, her eyes scanning the room for the cause of the glass…and pausing when she saw the specimen tank was empty.

"Oh no…" she muttered, turning to flick the sonic on, trying to track the Dream Crab. The beeping led her to the examination table, beeping rapidly underneath the table. She crouched down and peered under it, her sonic out and ready to use against the crab…when the beeping suddenly slowed.

"What?" she started to whack it on her hand, not used to her sonic being the defective one…and froze when she felt something slimy drip onto her hand.

She had only just jerked her head up when the Dream Crab descended on her before she could even attempt using her powers. She was only able to scream out one word before her world went black.

' _Theta!_ '

~8~

In the control room, the Doctor was in the middle of speaking to Bellow's when he hunched over, his hands flying to his head as he heard a mental scream in his mind.

"Evy!" he shouted, running out of the room, leaving behind the startled humans.

It took Clara only a moment to realize what was happening before she and LJ were running after the man.

~8~

_Evy blinked as she sat up in a bed she hadn't seen in…centuries, in a room she hadn't stepped foot in the same amount of time. She looked to the side, seeing the burnt orange skies of Gallifrey, the twin suns already risen, and frowned, knowing that wasn't right._

_"What…" she breathed, getting out of her bed and moving to the window to look out. She shook her head a moment later and turned to run to the door and see what was going on, when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror beside the door. She slowly moved over to it, reaching out to touch the reflection before her hands flew to her face and hair._

_A woman with brown hair and light eyes was staring back at her._

_"This isn't possible," she blinked, the woman in the mirror was saying the same thing._

_"Luna!?" a voice called from just outside her door moments before the door slid open to reveal a young man had been shouting, black hair slicked back, dark eyes…hair around his lip and chin._

_"Oh don't tell me you're trying to grow out that rubbish beard again, Terrin," Evy muttered._

_Terrin, or, as he would be known to their people and the people of Earth the Master, just laughed and smiled, "I thought you said it would make me look dashing!"_

_"I must have lost my mind," she glanced around, "I'm fairly certain I'm still losing it."_

_He shook his head, "You didn't go Mad at the Schism, I think you are safe," he stepped closer to her, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Now, come on, get dressed, Theta's on his way over and it's about time you met by best mate. Bout time he found out I even have a sister," he teased her._

_"You never told him you had a sister?" she huffed, whacking him on the arm._

_"Ow," he playfully rubbed his arm, "I did tell him, matter of fact, he probably knows more about you than I do I don't shut up about you you know."_

_She blinked, "You don't?"_

_That…wasn't right, this person before her, it wasn't her brother. Well, it was, but…there was something missing, there was something different about him. He seemed lighter, happier, more carefree and less troubled…and it was then that she realized the look in his eyes. They were sparkling, happy, crinkling in the corners, but…easy. There wasn't even a hint of the madness that she had seen growing in them over their years growing older, there wasn't the strain and tension in his words and posture…it was just…him._

_It was just her brother._

_"Course I don't," he chuckled, "I love you sis," he eyed her, "What's gotten into you?"_

_She could only shrug to him, feeling a pit settle in her stomach as she thought about it all. It wasn't what got into her, but what got onto her…_

_She could remember it, a Dream Crab, this was a heartsbreaking dream, all of it, being home, her brother being there and sane and…alive…all of it was a dream._

_And she didn't know how to wake up._

_And she knew that it was going to kill her if she didn't work out a way to do it soon._

~8~

"Evy!" the Doctor shouted as he reached the lab, bursting in to see Evy lying on the ground, one of the Dream Crabs latched onto her face. He spun around with a gasp, blocking Clara from running in, keeping LJ from seeing his mother like that, "Get him out of here," he ordered Clara, knowing he should feel bad about practically shoving her out of the lab, but right now he had more things to worry about…like his Link on the ground, "Evy," he hurried over to her, kneeling beside her and taking her hand, pulling the sonic out to scan the crab, frantically trying to find some way to help her. He was starting to get a dull throbbing pain in his temple, like an ice cream pain, like brain freeze, and he knew it had to be the crab, the pain Evy was feeling carrying over from the Link and to him, "Evy, can you hear me?" he squeezed her hand, trying to call to her, hoping that she could hear him, hoping she might be able to sense him even without hearing him, "Evy you're dreaming. You're dying. You need to wake up!"

"We did try to waken the others," Ashley warned him as she and the others reached him, "No stimulus worked."

"Then we kill it," he nearly hissed, his hearts racing with the need to get that crab OFF his Link! He could barely focus on anything else, he just…he had to get it off her, "We find a way to kill it and we get it off of her. How do we kill it? How do we kill it?"

Ashley glanced at the other crew members, not sure if he was asking her or talking to himself, but she had to offer what she knew, "There's no way to kill it without killing her too. And, as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking…"

"Well I don't particularly care what you like!" he snapped at her, glaring at her so powerfully that she stepped back, "Santa," he looked over at the man who had come with them, "In the infirmary, you told the Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you."

"Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off her," Santa held up his hands, trying to speak gently, genuinely, knowing full well what the man would be like if the threat to his Link grew any more than it already was.

"No, but you can get back in there unharmed."

"What?" Shona blinked, "You're asking Santa for help? He doesn't exist!"

"And how would you know that?!" he nearly sneered at her, "How did a pudding brain like you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?!"

"Look," Santa cut in, needing to calm him down before the Doctor's grip on Evy's hand became so tight that he broke it, "I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, of course I can get back into the infirmary."

"Then go!" he ordered, "Go, NOW, and bring one of the crabs to me."

"What…" Ashley shook her head, not wanting those things free.

But the Doctor just roared, "NOW!"

~8~

_Evy slowly made her way down the stairs of her childhood home, seeing her brother in their spacious sitting room, a board came that was quite a bit like chess set up before him, frowning at the pieces. They had been playing the night before, her mind tried to tell her, they'd been playing and called a draw to get sleep, it appeared he was now trying to select his next move._

_"Terrin…" she began, stepping towards him, not sure if she should tell him this was a dream or not._

_"I think I know what move to make next and…" he trailed off, blinking when he saw her, "You look lovely Luna."_

_She glanced down at her clothing, it was the typical attire for Gallifrey, deep red long sleeved shirt, black belt, black leggings and boots…nothing spectacular, "Terrin."_

_"Trying to impress someone?" he teased, getting up and walking over to her, "I know I told you a fair bit about Theta and, to be honest, I'd actually be over the moon," he playfully ribbed her for her name, "If you two got on, or more," he chuckled, "My best mate and my sister?" he shrugged, "Probably the only bloke I'd trust with you and…"_

_"Terrin stop," she cut in, tears in her eyes, this was too much a dream, it was too good to be true, it really was. Her brother, standing before her, without that drumming in his mind, telling her she was lovely, saying that he approved of her and the Doctor even if he didn't know they were Links or would Link or whatever…it was too much._

_It was like all the little cracks of her brother that she'd grown up with, the one that loved her, the one that was there for her, the one that just wanted her to be happy all melded into one…_

_But it wasn't her brother._

_And she didn't want some cutout of him, she wanted her brother…and he was dead._

_His smile started to fade, seeing the tears in her eyes, "Luna what's wrong?"_

_She opened her mouth to tell him it was a dream when there was a knock on the door beside them._

_"Bet that's the old boy now," he laughed, moving to open the door for the man, "Theta!" he laughed as the door opened to reveal the Doctor, she knew it was him…he looked like a younger version of his first self, but she knew it wasn't so, she knew it was HER Doctor in how he looked at her, in how shocked he seemed to be by the rather large hug the Master had bestowed upon him._

_"Hello," he said briskly to the Master, pushing his way in and moving over to Evy's side, "It's not real, Eves," he told her, taking her hands, "You know it's not real. It's a dream, and it's killing you."_

_"I know," she nodded, her voice cracking, "I know, Dream Crab and Time Lord minds?" she shrugged, sniffling, "It's not real, any of it."_

_She looked around for her brother, only to see he wasn't at the door but back at the small board game, looking at the next move to make, seemingly unaware that they were there in the room or talking about him, it was like they were invisible to him now._

_And then she blinked and looked back at him, "I know the crab got me but how…" she shook her head, "Oh no, don't tell me you…"_

_He nodded, "There was only one way to get to you," he squeezed her hand, "I'm dying too."_

~8~

"Have we just killed him?" Ashley looked at her crew, at Santa, the Doctor lying on the ground beside Evy, a Dream Crab on his face as well, her hand clutched in his own, "Have we just made it worse?"

Santa, who had been looking at the small portholes in the door to the lab, watching as Clara paced back and forth in the hallway, bobbing LJ and trying to look in while also keeping LJ from seeing, turned to her, "He thinks he can join the dream, and get her out," he smiled down at the couple, "Their bond is stronger than most others," he glanced at Ashley, "Have a little faith."

~8~

_"Ow!" the Doctor winced as Evy smacked him on the arm, repeatedly._

_"Of all the stupid…" she muttered as she whacked him._

_"Evy!" he tried to catch her hand, "Evy! Stop…"_

_"Our SON is out there!" she reminded him, "Our son, and you decide to risk killing yourself too?!"_

_"You weren't waking up!" he defended, "I had to come in and get you because you weren't waking up."_

_"I don't know how to!"_

_He looked at her solemnly, shaking his head, "You do though," he said quietly, "You just…don't want to."_

_"Why wouldn't I want to get back to my Link and child?" she challenged, but there was something off in her words._

_He just glanced over at the young Master hesitantly reaching out to a piece before pulling his hand back, and back to Evy. He waited, watching as she looked over at her brother, before he reached out to take her hand, seeing tears in her eyes as she observed him, "You've got minutes left Eves…"_

_She nodded, knowing there was no point in lying, to him or herself, in saying that she was doing every single thing she could think of to wake herself up. Because there was something she could do to wake up but…something, one small thing was keeping her from doing it. She didn't doubt that she'd have seized that way out in the end, she knew she would get back to her Link and son, but for that one moment, standing there, she knew why she'd have waited till the very end to do so._

_"He's here," she murmured, her voice breaking as she looked at her brother, "He's ALIVE," she inhaled sharply at that, "And he's not hurting anymore, he's not in pain here. There aren't any drums here. He's just…my brother. I miss him," she looked back at the Doctor, "I just got him back and then he died, again."_

_He pulled her into his arms as her voice cracked on the last word, holding her tight, "I know," he murmured, it was different for him, for his family. They were trapped on Gallifrey, what was left of his distant family, of all the people that still existed, he hadn't been forced to see them again and again and lose them over and over. He had glimpsed his mother when Rassilon tried to bring Gallifrey back. But that had been it. Evy had had to get her brother back three times just after the war ended, and lost him every time._

_And he knew it broke her hearts when it happened._

_"I'm sorry for it," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "I'm so sorry."_

_She managed a weak laugh at that, "Channeling 10?" she pulled back slightly, trying to smile at him, but he could see her hearts breaking again…because this was going to mean losing her brother yet another time._

_"I'll channel anything if it helps you," he admitted._

_She nodded at that, glancing back at her brother, "He always only wanted me happy," she mumbled, "He wanted me safe and protected, happy and loved…" she swallowed hard, taking a breath, "And that's what I am," she held a hand out to him, "Out there, with you."_

_He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it as he looked at her, "Try to push your way back," he murmured to her, "Accept this isn't real, and TRY."_

_She closed her eyes, giving a small nod, and focused as much as she could, squeezing his hand as she did so…_

~8~

In the lab, the Doctor and Evy sat up with a gasp of air, the Dream Crabs falling off their faces...

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't quite see Clara falling into the Dream Crab's reality with the resolution between her and Danny in the last chapter and without the lies between her and the Time Lords. I could, however, see Evy wanting her brother to be alive and back, her brother-brother, not the madman version of him, as, as far as she knows, Missy died in the last chapter :( I could see a Time Lord mind, being more advanced, being aware of the dream world but falling prey to it just slightly ;)
> 
> And omg, ONE CHAPTER LEFT! O.O 
> 
> Next chapter...dreams within dreams within dreams, but whose and how many? What were the Doctor and Evy, or even Clara, really up to before this happened? What will LJ get for Christmas?


	24. Last Christmas (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! One last hurrah for 2020 with an extra (and the last) chapter for Evy ;)

Evy coughed as she rolled to the side, the Dream Crab scuttling away from her as the Doctor blindly reached out to take her hand, gasping for air as well. The doors to the lab opened and Clara ran in, LJ in her arms, the boy calling out for his parents.

"LJ," Evy held her arms out for him, Clara quickly placing the boy in his mother's arms as she held him tightly, one hand on the back of his head as she just took in her son.

The Doctor made his way beside them, gathering the two into his own arms as he looked over their head, watching as the Dream Crabs seemed to seize on their backs before they turned to dust. He let out a breath, closing his eyes at that, resting his head to the back of Evy's before he pressed a kiss to her hair, feeling relief surge through him. He glanced up when he heard a shuffle to se Clara had moved over to the small ashes, carefully, using rather large tongs, picking up a part of the crab that hadn't disintegrated completely to put into the specimen jar, Shona hurrying to get a dustpan for the rest of it.

"So these creatures, when their feeding goes wrong, they die?" Bellows asked cautiously, not wanting to interrupt the small reunion before her but the scientist in her wanted to know.

"The carnivore's hazard," the Doctor agreed, slowly pulling away from Evy, "Food has teeth too," he reached out, brushing her hair behind her ear so he could look at her more closely, "You ok?"

She nodded, though she winced a moment later, bringing her head up to her temple, "There's still a pain there…like an ice cream pain…"

"Ice cream pain?" Shona repeated, dumping the last bits of ash into a bin and turning to them, "Just here?" she pointed to the side of her head, "Cos I've got that."

"It's the cold, I think," Bellows offered, unintentionally telling them that she had the same pain, "Some sort of reaction."

"But only on one side?" the Doctor looked at the crew, frowning, "Just that spot there? Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Well, we've all got it," Albert shrugged, which made the Time Lords stiffen.

"And me…" Clara breathed, looking at the others with wide eyes, "WHY do we _all_ have that pain?"

"Work it out Clara," Evy encouraged her, standing with LJ in her arms some effort, the Doctor helping her up.

"I was at my flat," Clara began, frowning in concentration, "I was sleeping and I heard a noise on the roof, it woke me up. I was dreaming and I woke up…"

"Did you?" the Doctor asked her cautiously, "Have you ever woken up from a dream and discovered that you're still dreaming? Dreams within dreams. Dream states nested inside each other. All perfectly possible, especially when we are dealing with creatures who have weaponized our dreams against us."

"I don't know about anybody else, but I'm pretty certain I'm awake right now," Bellows tried to laugh it off.

"Which is odd, when you think about it."

"Odd?" Ashley gave him a look.

"Impossible, in fact," he glanced at Evy and Clara, "More impossible than you two combined."

Evy inhaled sharply as she realized what he was getting at, "HOW can we even be awake?"

Shona shook her head, "I don't understand."

"The infirmary," Evy turned to her, "We were there and the Crabs were attacking us. We didn't know what to expect," she gestured at the Doctor, "And they're very quick. Think about it, isn't it odd how we survived?"

"Well, we, we were rescued."

Clara closed her eyes, understanding what was going on, "By Santa Claus…someone that doesn't actually exist."

"Not-Jeff," LJ nodded, trying to adopt his father's serious expression.

"Exactly boyo, Not-Jeff indeed," the Doctor agreed, they knew Father Christmas…and if that wasn't him, then it wasn't the REAL him…which meant it was a lie…exactly like the dream crabs were trying to spin around them.

~8~

The Doctor strode into the control room, Evy and LJ behind him, Clara just behind her with the crew hurrying to keep up. He spared a single glance at the fat man in the red suit as he appeared to be speaking on a mobile phone with someone before he turned to walk further away for privacy. He shook his head and hurried to a set of matching manuals sitting on a small table.

"The Helman-Ziegler test," he began, "The only reliable dream test that I know. Your base manual," he handed them to the four crew members, "I take it none of you have memorized this?"

"Oh I haven't, I haven't read it," Shona laughed.

"These books should be identical in the real world. But as they don't exist in your memory, in a dream, they can't be. Agreed?" they nodded, "Clara," he snapped his finger and pointed at Clara, "Give me any two digit number."

"57," Clara answered instantly.

"You lot," Evy looked at the four crew, "Turn to page 57 and tell us what the first word on that page is. Ashley you start."

Ashley frowned, but read the word, "'Isotope.'"

Bellows blinked when they looked at her standing next to Ashley, next in line, "'Extremely.'"

The Doctor nodded at that, at how the words were different, gesturing for Albert to continue, "'Inside.'"

"'Chocolate,'" Shona finished, huffing, "Why did I get chocolate? What's that about?"

"This can't be right," Albert shook his head, "We must have got it wrong, that's all."

"Then take another go," Evy offered, "What page LJ?"

"24!" the boy called.

Ashley sighed but turned to it, "'We.'"

"'Are,'" Bellows continued.

"'All.'"

The Doctor looked at Shona as she hesitated to say the last word, "Shona?"

Shona took a deep breath, "'Dead.'"

"So then…everything since the infirmary has been a dream?" Clara worked it out, looking at the Doctor and Evy.

"The attack is still going on," the Doctor countered, " _This_ is it!"

"We've been dreaming since then?" Albert repeated, not seeming to grasp the situation.

"Oh, for Easter's sake!" Santa huffed, ending his call and striding over, " _Of course_ you've been dreaming. Haven't you been paying attention?"

"Rudolph," the first elf added, stepping beside Santa, "Did you see the nose?"

"The North Pole?" the second elf seemed disappointed in them, "Come on, with _stripes_?"

"This…"

"Is…"

"A dream!" the three shouted.

"How much more obvious do you want me to make it?" Santa huffed, "Because I can text the Easter Bunny, you know."

"Seriously?" the Doctor eyed the fat man, "You're trying to help?"

"As you stand here, chatting, chatting, your lives are ending," Santa ignored him, "Unless you wake up, unless you free yourselves from these dreadful creatures, they're…they're going to destroy you. ALL of you," he glanced over at LJ, the little boy frowning and trying to tap the side of his head as though searching for the Dream Crab.

Evy's arms tightened around her son as the truth she had been trying to ignore was forced on her and the Doctor…the Dream Crabs had latched onto their son too. She had hoped he was just a product of the dream, that he was just a dream-LJ…but he wasn't, was he? He was actually there, joined in the dream with them…because a rock crab had scuttled onto him and trapped his little head and…she was going to destroy the lot of them when this was over.

NO ONE attacked her son!

"You're a dream who's trying to save us?" Shona held up her hands, trying to sort this, but it was getting harder to focus.

"Shona, sweetheart," Santa sighed, "I'm Santa Claus. I think you just defined me."

"This makes perfect sense," the Doctor murmured.

"Does it?" Clara scoffed, "Well I'm glad one of us thinks so."

"The Dream Crab tries to make the dream as real as possible to trap you inside it," the Doctor explained, "It creates dreams within dreams so you can never be sure if you are really awake."

"Oh this is the Dream Lord all over again," Evy muttered, rubbing her head, starting to feel that ice cream pain increase.

The Doctor nodded and pointed at her, "Your brain knows something is wrong. Your subconscious fights back. _This_ is your mind trying to tell you this isn't real."

"So it gives you me," Santa agreed, "Sweet Papa Chrimbo."

"It gives you comedy elves, flying reindeer," the first elf listed.

"Exactly," the Doctor pointed at him as well.

"A time-travelling scientist dressed as a magician…" Santa began.

"Ooh with a mob bossette!" the second elf pointed at Evy.

"No," the Doctor started to shake his head, seeing that it was starting to grow more realistic than dream, "No, no. Hang on. No, no, no, no…"

"Living in a phone box," the first elf added.

"It's a spaceship in disguise!" the Doctor defended.

"You see how none of this makes any sense?" Santa laughed.

"Ooh shut up, Not-Jeff," Evy huffed.

Santa sobered, seeing Evy rubbing the side of LJ's head, the boy seeming to feel the uncomfortable ice cream pain now, "I have watched over you all your lives," he told them, more serious, "I've taken care of you from Christmas to Christmas…"

"But you're not real," Bellows insisted, the Time Lords staying quiet at that, whatever helped wake the humans up.

"And yet that never stopped me. All of you, come near. Come here, come on. Join hands."

"Look," the Doctor shook his head as the man tried to gather them into a circle, "No. Look, we don't need all this touchy-feely stuff."

"Shut up, Doctor. Join hands. Come on, concentrate."

"Why?" Bellows hesitated to join hands though the crew did begin to draw closer.

"You are deep inside this dream, alright, and it is a shared mental state, so it is drawing power from the multi-consciousness gestalt which has now formed telepathically and…"

"No!" LJ cut in with a pout, "Daddy! Daddy talk science! Not Not-Jeff!"

The Doctor had to chuckle at that, reaching out to take LJ's hand as Evy set him down, "I agree boyo, Santa Claus does not do the scientific explanation."

"Alright," Santa rolled his eyes, "As the Doctor might say," he cleared his throat, taking on a Scottish accent, "Oh, it's all a bit dreamy-weamy."

"Why don't you just go and…and make a naughty list?" the Doctor taunted, ignoring Evy sniggering behind him.

"I have, mate, and you're on it."

"Don't give me that. Look, you're supposed to be warm and friendly and cheerful…"

"Oh, yeah," he mimicked the Doctor again, "Well, look at your great bedside manner."

"Don't be so hostile…"

"Oi, you two," Evy pointed between them, "You are not brothers, nor family, you don't get to bicker like that in the middle of a situation threatening my child's life. Focus."

"I don't understand something though," Clara shook her head, standing closer to the Doctor's other side, letting LJ hold his parent's hands, "Why would the part of our brain that is trying to keep all of us alive choose you for a face?" she eyed Santa.

"Is anyone else asking that?" Santa glanced around.  
Shona nodded, always blunt, "Yeah, yeah. Yeah. All of us. All of us. Why you?"

"Why me? It's the North Pole, it's Christmas Day. You're dying. Who you gonna call? Just one last time, huh? One last Christmas, as if your lives depended on it. Please! Ho, ho, ho. Believe in Santa."

The Doctor sighed, giving up as the other humans formed a circle with the aliens beside them, "I'm not very good with this holdy-hand thing…"

"Tough," Clara grabbed his hand instead.  
"Well this is very Grinch Who Stole Christmas, isn't it?" Evy offered him a small smile though he knew she was nervous about this, the fact that the crab had gotten their son was putting them all on edge and they wanted out, wanted him safe again.

"Ok," Ashley took a breath, looking over to Santa, "So what do we…" only to see he'd disappeared with his elves.

"Where did he go?!" Bellows exclaimed.

"We're waking up," the Doctor reasoned, "That part of the dream is over. We're on our own now."

"Well, then, what do we do?" Albert frowned.

"The ice cream pain in your head," Evy looked at them, "Make it worse, push towards it, push through it…pain is a trigger to waking up. Like when you get hurt in your dream, you wake up before it really hits you."

"So when we wake up, what do we expect?" Ashley nodded.

"Only a few moments will have passed at the most," the Doctor warned, "The attack is still in progress."

"I'm scared," Shona admitted.

"Congratulations. That means you're not an idiot."

"Me and LJ?" Clara glanced at the two other Time Lords, a question in her eyes that they nodded to.

Clara would take LJ and get him away from the attack while they held off or dealt with the crabs.

"Good luck," Ashley squeezed the hands of her crew, "Stay calm. And God bless us, every one."

They all closed their eyes, focusing as much as they could…till the world whited out around them…

~8~

It was chaos as the Dream Crabs fell off the faces of the crew and Time Lords in the infirmary. The Time Lords managed to jump to their feet, the Doctor, who was still holding LJ, quickly pushed the boy into Clara's arms and moved her behind him as he and Evy pulled out their sonics, aiming it at the four Dream Crab victims that were clutching their sides in pain.

"Run!" the Doctor shouted, looking over to see the crew waking up on the ground, the Dream Crabs that had attacked them withering into dust around them…but the four victims were recovering quickly.

"Go!" Evy pushed Clara on towards the doors they'd been running towards.

"Out, out, now!" Ashley was hauling her crew to their feet and shoving them on, "NOW!" she turned, her gun ready, taking the defense with the Doctor and Evy, all of them backing towards the doors and shutting them as quickly as they could.

"Everyone alright?" the Doctor looked around at the people who nodded, "Good. Bye!" he reached out, taking his son, and turned to stride out of the hall.

"Doctor!" Evy moved after him.

"Sorry," Clara winced an apology to the crew, "I'll just go and…" before she too rushed after the duo.

"No need for chatting," the Doctor muttered as they walked on, "You'll only get attached. This isn't FaceBook," he shoved through a door on the side of the hall, stepping out into the snow, the TARDIS right in front of them.

"Er, what about the Dream Crabs?" Clara shook her head.

"Oh, they're fine."

"They're still attacking those four people," Evy argued.

"Who are now beyond help," the Doctor reasoned, turning to them, "If the crabs didn't fall off when the others died, then it's because the people they're eating are already gone."

"Be that as it may," Evy shook her head, "Bellows and Shona and the others are still in danger of them."

"Only if they're stupid," he continued, really wanting to get into the TARDIS, wanting to get his Link and son as far away from there as possible, "There are polar bears on this ice cap. Am I supposed to do something about that, too?"

"We know Dream Crabs are still on Earth," Clara tried to argue, moving to Evy's side.

"There are lots of dangerous things on this funny little planet, Clara, most of which you eat. I'm the Doctor, not your mam."

"Santa!" LJ cut in, hitting his father on the arm to get his attention, "Santa!"

"Yes, boyo, we'll go and see Jeff again."

"No," LJ huffed, rolling his eyes at his father, before pointing at Clara, "Roof!"

Clara blinked, her eyes widening as LJ picked up something none of them had, "If Santa was only in the dream in there…why was he on my roof before?"

The Doctor stared at her a moment, stunned by that question…because, if Santa had been on her roof…it meant that the Crab had been active even then and…

"There were FOUR victims," Evy realized as well, "Four manuals, but EIGHT crew?"

The Doctor let out a frustrated growl, one that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a scream, starting to stalk back to the base, "Do you know what I hate about the obvious?"

"What?" Clara hurried after him with Evy.

"Missing it!" he pulled the door open, stepping back into the base and looking left and right for his bearings, before leading them to the control room at a quick job, coming upon the four crew, all standing around and talking quietly about the security footage, the four victims lying back in their beds in the infirmary, "As you were!" he called when the crew turned to them, startled, "No saluting. Are you the same people as before?"

"Of course they are," Clara sighed.

"Oh, sorry, I deleted you."

Shona huffed at that, "Well, that's not a very nice attitude, is it?"

"You had four manuals…" Evy stepped past the Doctor, moving to the manuals as he was holding LJ this time."

"Yes, why?" Ashley asked hesitantly, not sure if Evy was asking a question or making a statement.

Evy picked them up, looking through the other books nearby incase there were some missing, "One for each of you then," she muttered to herself, "And that is SO wrong."

"Sorry, what?" Albert shook his head.

But Evy just rounded on them, "Shona," she handed the girl a manual, "In the infirmary, when we came in, what were you doing?"

"It's a long story," Shona laughed a bit, thinking of a little dance she'd been doing to Christmas music.

"And you, uptight boss one," the Doctor called as Evy gave Ashley a manual too, "What is the primary mission of this polar base?"

"It's a long story," Ashley shook her head.

"Are you seeing this Clara?" Evy glanced at the slightly confused girl, "Bellows," she continued, yet another manual, "Why did you decided to join this expedition at your age?"

"It's a long…" Bellows began automatically, before realizing what they'd been doing, before she realized she was giving the exact same answer, "Story."

"Oh that is freaky," Clara breathed, "Why are they all giving the same answer?"

"It's not just them Clara," Evy murmured, thinking about when SHE had said that exact same phrase before, before they'd even gotten to the Pole.

"Clara, we were in the TARDIS," the Doctor looked at her, "Why did _we_ come here?"

"It's a long story," Clara answered, and blinked as it hit her, "What…why did I…"

"Dreams," the Doctor shook his head, "They're funny. Ha, ha, ha. They're disjointed. They're…they're silly. They're full of gaps. But you don't notice, because the dream protects itself. Stops you asking the right questions."

"Questions like why are there only FOUR manuals when you have EIGHT crew members?" Evy nodded at the books in the crew's hands as she gave Albert the last one,

"But we woke up…" Albert argued.

"Dreams within dreams, I warned you," the Doctor shook his head.

"This isn't a dream," Bellows defended, "I know it isn't."

"We've heard that before," Evy remarked, the Dream Lord coming back to her, how Amy had kept saying that over and over, "You never realize you're having a dream while you're in it."

"Evy?" the Doctor looked at her, solemn, knowing their theory was about to be proven, "Page number. Make it a good one."

She smiled sadly at him, "12."

"'Very,'" Ashley read on that page, her crew doing the same.

"'Very,'" Albert nodded.

Bellows started to smile, thinking that it had to mean this was really real now that it was all the same word, "'Very!'"

But Shona was quiet, breathing out, "'Dead,'" a moment later.

The Doctor looked at the crew as they turned to each other in shock, "And who's going to be the first to admit it?"

"Admit what?" Ashley swallowed.

"That the pain is still there."

LJ raised his hand at that, the Doctor pressing a kiss to the top of his head for it.

"Actually, I think it's getting worse," Shona admitted.

"Yes, there is an alien organism in your brain, eating it. Of course it's getting worse."

"Doctor?" Clara called, something at the side of the room catching her attention, "Evy? What are they doing?" she pointed to the monitors where the four victims were starting to rise from their beds once more.

"Factually, getting up. Significantly, sensing the endgame."

"How?"

Ashley shook her head, "I don't understand…"

"Because you're thinking about it," Evy looked at them, "You're wanting to wake up and they know the next time you do, it'll be for real. They can't let you four go."

"Why us?" Albert frowned.

"Look at them," Evy gestured to the monitors, "Cant' you see who they are?" she turned, putting in a command in the controls, zooming the image in to a name badge on one of the victim's chest, one that read 'Prof Rona Bellows' and shook her head at them, "Those four…they're YOU."

"How can they be us?" Shona gaped, able to recognize herself now in how one of the victims was moving, how they were standing, they're body type.

"Because it's all a dream."

"This base isn't real," the Doctor agreed, "None of us are actually standing in the room. Evy and I are probably asleep in our TARDIS, LJ with us. Clara's probably in bed. God knows where the rest of you are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we're all being networked into the same nightmare."

"What are they doing?" Bellows gasped as their doubles began to move towards the cameras.

"They're trying to lure you in," Evy warned, "They're the part of your subconscious that has already given up and let the Crabs get them. Just like you four right here are the part that's fighting to survive."

"That's me?" Albert moved closer to the monitors, squinting at himself, "That's actually me?"

"No, it's a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape," the Doctor huffed, bobbing LJ a bit as the boy fussed, sensing his father's frustrations, "Do please keep up."

"But it's me."

"Don't get too close," Clara warned as she saw the man lean in more, his other self reaching for the camera.

"Why?"

"Well it's a nightmare isn't it?" Clara shook her head, "The laws of physics don't…"

Whatever she was about to say, whatever clever thing was about to escape her, was cut off when Albert gasped and screamed, his double's hand shoving out of the monitor and grabbing him, pulling him through it before any of them could move.

"DON'T!" Clara cried, seeing Bellows and Ashley reaching out towards their own selves as well, startling them into stopping, though her rushing forward to push their arms down helped as well.

"They're coming through!" Evy jumped back as a hand shot out of the screen, "Go! Run!"

"Out!" the Doctor turned to help push the humans out of the room, "Outside, now! Run, run, run, run! Run! Run, all of you, run. Run!"

Evy quickly flicked the sonic over her shoulder, causing a spark in the system that made the monitors and lights of the room flicker off, thinking, perhaps they might be like the Weeping Angels, that to cut the monitor's power would keep them from getting through…but it was too late, the victims were already in the room.

"Evy!" the Doctor reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her with him as they followed the crew and Clara down the hall, rushing out another door and into the snow, the laws of the dream allowing them to be in the same spot as before, the TARDIS right before them.

"We'll freeze to death out here," Bellows gasped as the Time Lords used their sonics to lock the door, Clara shoving a piece of metal through the handles to help bar it more.

"But it, it's just a dream," Shona tried to wrap her mind around that.

"This dream just killed your friend," the Doctor turned to her, "Start taking it seriously."

"Where's Albert? Where's the professor?"

"He probably just woke up somewhere in the real world, dead. If we don't wake up now, we'll do the same."

"But how?" Clara asked.

"I don't know."

"The Dream Crabs might be aware of what we're doing," Evy added, "That we're aware of them now. Even if we push on that ice cream pain, I don't think it would wake us up this time."

The Doctor looked back as the victims started to pound on the door, actually causing dents to form in the metal, "The TARDIS!" he called, "Come on! Come on!"

"Doctor, it's not the real TARDIS," Clara tried to remind him.

"Well, let's hope that we dreamed it really well, then."

They had just reached the doors when they opened, doubles of the Doctor, Evy, Clara, with LJ in the Doctor's arms, stepped out, all four of them with Dream Crabs latched onto their faces.

"It's us…" Clara gasped, stumbling back.

"Of course it's us," the Doctor muttered, "We're dreaming too."

"Oh, my God," Shona jumped, the door thrown off its hinges as their doubles existed, more filing out than just the four that there should have been.

"How is that possible?!" Bellows shouted as they found themselves quickly surrounded by more than a dozen doubles, "How can there be so many?"

"It's a nightmare," Evy repeated Clara's words, "Logic and realism don't apply here!"

"So tell us how to wake up," Shona shouted, "Because you two are always talking like you're so clever, going on and on. So tell us what to do!"

"We have to leave this place," the Doctor stated.

"Leave it?"

"How?" Bellows gasped.

The Doctor blinked, Evy's words echoing in his mind, 'logic and realism,' they needed something illogical and completely unrealistic, "Use your imagination!"

"Excuse me?"

"Dream yourselves home!"

"But how?"

"Come on," he actually started to smile, taking LJ's hand as he bobbed the boy that actually seemed a little frightened, "It's Christmas, the North Pole. Who you gonna call boyo?"

LJ looked up, hearing jingling bells above them and beamed, clapping, "Not-Jeff!" he giggled seeing Santa and his sleigh of reindeer, led by Rudolph, swooping above them.

"Whoa!" Santa called as he landed the sleigh only feet away, "Whoa. Ah. Get in the sleigh!"

The Doctor took Evy's hand and pulled her with him towards it, helping her in, then Clara, passing LJ to his mother as he hopped in as well, the crew clambering into the back of the wooden sleigh.

"Fortunately, I know all your home addresses," Santa cheered, snapping the reins and sending them into the air with a, "Yah!"

"So what happens now?" Clara called over the wind as they flew into the night's sky, "This is us just waking up, right?"

"Could be," the Doctor agreed, "Well, I hope so. Waking up or…"

"Or?"

"Let's just say waking up," Evy laughed, beaming as LJ clapped his hands and cheered at being able to fly in Santa's sleigh (even if he wasn't Jeff).

"Tell us Clara," the Doctor smiled a swell, "Do you believe in Santa Claus?"

"I've always believed in Santa Claus, and Mrs. Claus," Clara nodded, "But they look a little different to me," she gave the two Time Lords a pointed look, making them laugh.

"Hey," Santa nudged the Doctor beside him, "You want to take the reins, Doctor?"

He scoffed, "You're a dream construct, currently representing either my recovering or expiring mind."

"Yes, but do you want a go?"

"Oh give it a go," Evy laughed, LJ watching his father with wide eyes, wanting to see his father pilot the sleigh.

"Yeah," the Doctor gave in, "Alright. Watch this boyo," he took the reins from Santa just as they passed over St. Paul's, nearly causing the sleigh to tilt to the side a bit too much, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

"Easy!" Santa shouted as they nearly hit a set of roofs, "This way!"

"No, no, no," the Doctor tugged the reins back, wanting to do it himself, complete with a, "Ho, ho, ho!"

"Up a bit," Santa tried to instruct, "Lift up. There we go!"

"Look at me!" the Doctor started to whoop and cheer, having a grand old time as they drifted over Parliament, Big Ben chiming midnight, Christmas Day, "Look. Look at me!" he pulled the reins back, sending them even higher, above the clouds, "Look at me! I'm riding a sleigh. I'm riding a sleigh."

"I see," Evy called to him, laughing at his exuberance.

"Yippee ki-yay!" he laughed, till the sleigh began to shake and he saw just how HIGH they were, "Oh. Maybe you could…" he handed the reins back.

"I work in a shop," Shona said suddenly.

"I'm sorry?" Ashley looked at her with a grin.

"I thought I was a scientist. That's rubbish."

"Finally, something that makes sense," Bellows laughed.

"You're horrible, you."

"Perfume…" Ashley murmured.

"What?"

"I'm an account manager for perfume," she realized, glancing at the Time Lords, "Does this mean we're waking up?"

"It could," Evy agreed.

"With any luck we'll all wake up in our proper times and places," the Doctor nodded.

"Proper times?" Clara blinked at that, "You mean time zones?" she clarified, not thinking that the people in the sleigh would be from different time periods, the Doctor pointed at her for that.

"We might not know each other?" Shona seemed more upset about that than the fact that a Dream Crab had just tried to eat her brain, "Not any of us?!"

"No," Ashley seemed to realize that, "Possibly not."

"Well, you know what we should do? We should swap numbers. We should have a reunion!"

"Bellows!" Ashley gasped when she turned to ask the woman what she thought only to see she was nowhere to be found, just…vanished.

"It's fine," Evy reassured her, "It means she's woken up."

"Good…"

"Er," Shona's face scrunched in concentration, "Now I'm pretty sure I can remember my number so, if you memorize it, then you text me, we can go for a curry and…"

The Doctor shook his head, "The chances of you remembering any of this are very slim."

"Well, don't say that. We'll remember, won't we, Ashley?" she turned to the woman, "Ashley?" but she was gone as well, making her pout, "Am I next? Is it me now?"

"Shona, you're going home," Clara reached out to put a hand on Shona's arm, "You're surviving."

"Do _you_ want to hang out sometime?" Shona turned to Clara then, "We can just hang out."

"Sure," Clara chuckled.

"Santa, can I stay a bit longer?" Shona turned to the man…and disappeared before their eyes.

Clara blinked at that, but looked over at the Time Lords, reaching out to play with LJ's little hand as he sat on Evy's lap, speaking to his parents, "It's a pity we have to wake up, really," she admitted, "It's not really something we do every day, is it?"

"No, no," Santa agreed, "Strictly once a year."

"We stay, we die, Clara," the Doctor stated, though his gaze flickered to Evy.

"I know, I know," Clara nodded, "This will be quite a Christmas story though," she smiled.

"Reindeer?" LJ pointed at the flying ones, looking up at his parents with wide eyes.

"No," Evy shook her head, "No reindeer for pets."

The Doctor chuckled at that, reaching out to take his son's hand as well, wondering how the boy would react when he found out that they had actually gone and gotten him a goldfish for Christmas?

That was the last thought that flittered through his head before the world whited out around him…

~8~

The Doctor gasped, rolling to the side as the Dream Crab leapt off his face, quickly pushing himself up and scrambling to LJ's side as the boy laid only an arm's length away from him, swatting at the crab that had got him, shoving it off. He grabbed it and threw it as far as he could, gathering his son into his arms as he looked over to see Evy had managed to get her crab off and was helping a gasping Clara up as well, having seen him taking care of their son.

He looked around at where they were, at Clara…they were in an igloo, of all things. And he remembered the truth. It HAD been six months, Clara had called them on Christmas Eve and asked to take her to see the Northern Lights, saying she wanted to give LJ a Christmas gift on Christmas, but had wanted it to be a surprise. LJ had gotten excited to see Clara back and when he saw the lights he'd started to clap and cheer that he wanted to make an igloo. So they'd pitched in and gotten one made, they'd been sitting inside, exchanging small gifts, when the Crabs had gotten inside, lured in by the brainwave activity of the aliens gathered in one spot and attacked.

"Everyone alright?" he called, "Evy? Clara?"

"We're fine," Evy nodded, helping Clara steady herself, "But I think we should get back to the TARDIS, now."

The Doctor agreed, clutching LJ to him as he crawled out of their dome, Evy and Clara following behind them.

"That's…that's good, actually," Clara murmured as they headed to the blue box, "That's…that's actually my gift for LJ."

"Gift!?" LJ looked up at her.

She chuckled and crouched down, taking his hands as they stood outside the box, "Mhmm. My Christmas present for you little man…"

"What is it?!" his eyes grew impossibly wide.

"I'm done with my little vacation," she told him, smiling, "I'm gonna start travelling with you three again," she glanced at his parents, "If that's still ok."

"We'd love it," Evy told her as LJ launched himself at Clara and hugged her, excited and very happy.

"Welcome back, Clara Oswald," the Doctor snapped his fingers and the TARDIS doors opened.

Clara stood, hefting LJ up with her as the boy still hugged her, having 6 months of hugs still to make up for, "Merry Christmas," she smiled at them.

"Merry Christmas," they both returned, letting Clara step into the box.

The Time Lords glanced up at the colored sky and back at each other, into the box where their son was excitedly trying to show Clara the different controls of the console as though she'd forgotten in the last few months before he jumped and took her hand to lead her over to his play pen where his little golden fish was swimming in a small bowl. Evy let out a light chuckle, the Doctor shaking his head at the boy before he looked at his Link, "Merry Christmas, Luna," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

She beamed as she pulled back, "Merry Christmas, Theta," she returned, leaning in to give him a peck.

And with that the Doctor wound his arm around her waist, the two of them stepping into the box, the doors shutting behind them as the box faded away, the small group of aliens inside ready for their next adventure.

To be continued...in...Time Lords Together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should never name a child Ashley (though I do think it's a beautiful name, one of my roommates was an Ashley and my cousin is an Ashley too), because I literally wrote the entire episode spelling it as 'Ashely' and had to do a find/replace feature to fix it lol :)
> 
> I couldn't really see the final dream sequences playing out like in the show. With Clara being a Time Lady now, she wouldn't have grown old, in being Linked with the Captain she probably wouldn't have lived so long on Earth so it felt like it flowed better to have them all together when they woke up for real, having it been their first adventure with Clara after some time and them being a bit 'rusty' lol :)
> 
> But now we're here, at the end of Evy's story for Series 8! O.O I'm so sad that it's over but, at the same time, happy that it's completed :) We won't be getting Series 9 for her, because I haven't gotten to it on FF.net yet either :( I fell SO far behind on my updating the last few years, so I've only just finished Series 8 for my 3rd OC (Evy being my 2nd) and plan to get to my 4th OC in 2021. I want to get through the Time Ladies I currently have up to Series 7 for Series 8 before I cycle back to the Professor and then Evy for Series 9, and I'm alternating them with new Time Lady stories so it may take a while before I get to Evy's series 9 :(
> 
> BUT! I am going to be posting my next Time Lady, the Angel, here, and I won't be going a chapter at a time but putting up the entire story each week to try and get through more of my stories ;) I'll probably put up a new story every Sunday or something so keep an eye out for the next Time Lady with 'A Treasured Discovery' ;)
> 
> I just wanted to finish by taking a second to say thank you, to all of you. To anyone that read/reviewed/favorited/followed/anything the story, I really am so glad that you've enjoyed it so far. I really love you guys so much, I really really do. You all are amazing people :')


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